


Turquoise Sea

by Alice122



Series: Turquoise Sea [1]
Category: A Court of Thorns and Roses Series - Sarah J. Maas
Genre: F/M, Romance, Slow Burn, The Summer Court (ACoTaR)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-10
Updated: 2021-03-14
Packaged: 2021-03-14 19:36:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 26,361
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28676076
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alice122/pseuds/Alice122
Summary: Summer court has been through a lot, slowly getting back on its feet following the recent war. While the court is getting back to normal, there is a surprise waiting for the young High Lord in his personal life, when a mysterious woman wakes up on the beach with no memories.
Relationships: Tarquin (ACoTaR)/Original Character(s)
Series: Turquoise Sea [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2101704
Comments: 2
Kudos: 24





	1. Introduction

**Author's Note:**

> I have fallen in love with Tarquin so quickly when we got to know a little bit about him in book two and then by the end of book three I was disappointed there wasn't more about him. I had then high hopes for fanfiction only to find there's very little out there about him so I thought I'll give writing a go. I will try to write one to two chapters a week, I'm not sure how many chapters exactly this will be yet but so far the plan is for this to be done in three parts. This is my first fanfiction so I'm expecting some mistakes along the way and I'd really love some feedback!

Soft murmurs woke her. 

She didn’t know how long she’s been asleep, all her muscles feeling heavy and stiff. Her eyelids slowly agreed to listen and she was able to open her eyes. Immediately she regretted the action. Bright light temporarily blinded her and it took her few attempts of opening and closing her eyes to finally make sense of her surroundings. Bright blue sky just above her and she noticed she was lying down, surrounded with unfamiliar faces all carefully watching her. 

“It's ok Miss help is coming,” Someone said but the words didn’t make much sense to her. 

Help for what? She wondered and sat up. Her muscles ached at the sudden movement and for the first time she noticed the pounding in her head. She couldn’t recognise this place. To her left, she could make out dark blue water further in the distance and the sun was high in the sky. The heat would be unbearable were it not for the soft breeze coming from the direction of the sea. She worked out it must mean it’s summer time and she was on the beach. 

Sumer... She didn’t know why that piece of information seemed to hold quite a significance but something told her it was important. Suddenly she had the feeling this wasn’t her home. Her pale white skin stood out among the strangers all with significantly darker shades of skin to hers. There was movement to her right and the crowd started parting way for someone. A tall stranger made his way closer to her, she looked up and felt frozen to place. All she could do was stare at a pair of most beautiful turquoise eyes she had ever seen. 

“Beautiful...” she whispered and it felt like she was under some kind of spell, all she could do was stare back at those eyes that took her breath away. 

“Miss...?” She heard slight hesitation in his voice and it felt like the spell was broken. 

“Sorry,” She quickly said and scanned the rest of the stranger with her eyes. He was truly beautiful. His dark mahogany skin made his eye colour really stand out and his long white hair seemed to be a perfect contrast to his skin but at the same time matched him perfectly. She noticed his quite simple loose yet elegant blue clothes with gold accents and a crown on his head that resembled the waves. 

Her eyes widened. 

“High lord,” the words left her lips and she realised bits of information seemed to come back to her. She was in Prythian. Some part of her also recognised him as the high lord of summer court. Tarquin, her mind whispered back. Slight feeling of unease spread through her, she knew this wasn’t her home but she couldn’t remember where she came from or how she ended up in summer Court. She waited for some kind of panic to set in but it never came. It was the strangest experience. If someone were to ask her what she thinks she’d feel if she woke up in strange place without her memories, she’d say panicked and afraid but she was oddly at peace with not remembering. Sure, she felt a bit uneasy being here and confused but not remembering wasn’t anything she’d imagine it to be. Maybe it was shock she mused. Maybe later the full force of what happened just now will hit her but she was grateful for some moments of calmness, even if not much seemed to make sense to her. 

“Yes, Tarquin, high lord of summer court. I’ve been notified by some of my people they found unconscious lady they didn’t recognise. Can I ask your name and what happened?” 

“Annaleigh and I’m not sure,” she replied and he stared back at her with confused look on his face “I just woke up and I found myself here, I can’t remember anything else”. 

After what seemed like the longest break he finally said “Allow me to take you to a healer,” Tarquin reached out to help her stand and gestured with his chin in the direction of a palace that stood atop a mountain. Annaleigh was at loss with what to do and decided to simply nod her head and follow him. she didn’t know what else to do. She was in unfamiliar court without her memories or any personal belongings. She would have had to speak to this high lord eventually. What she wasn’t expecting, was feeling like she was going to be ok at his side and intuition was all she had at the minute.


	2. Chapter 2

It’s not every day Tarquin went out for a walk to find unconscious lady on the beach. He needed some time away from all his daily responsibilities only to find another thing to worry about. 

Beautiful she was and so unusual in the land full of dark skinned and white haired fae. Dark blonde loose locks surrounded her small oval face and she had full lips. If eyes were indeed windows to soul, hers once upon a time was definitely one of fire. He could imagine how many once would get lost deep in those amber depths, however he could tell the flame wasn’t what it used to be, something just seemed amiss in her gaze. For a minute, he just watched her and wondered how someone like this happened to end up here. He also remembered what happened that one time before when beautiful lady set her foot in his court. He remembered that pull he felt once before and how Fayre warmed herself a space only to stab him in the back. It was long ago and all forgiven now. It also became clear down the line the pull was because of part of his magic he shared with her. He also couldn’t help thinking about Amarantha and Hybern, and how his court suffered enough and he wondered if this was another trouble waiting to strike when he thought things finally started getting back to normal or if he could finally relax. 

Still question after question entered his mind. How did she end up here? Who was she? What did she want? 

In the end, he decided he couldn’t just leave her there and took her to the healer inside the palace. He could just about hear his advisors’ voices in his head “stupid young lord, so young and reckless.” But what was he to do? He left her to talk to the healer alone while he waited impatiently outside to find out more about this strange female. She claimed not to remember anything but she didn’t look hurt when he found her, just confused. Was what she said truth then? 

Sound of opening door brought him back to reality and he met face of Khalia, the healer that served him in the palace. 

“No injuries I can see,” She broke the silence “but it does seem like there is a problem with her memory. I am not sure what caused it, there is a limit to what we healers can do. Perhaps it was an accident or perhaps something else...” 

“Something else?” He asked. 

“There’s lots of ways to lose memory. Sometimes an accident causes it. No injuries on her but it is possible there was one that caused it and healed before she got here, memory just might take longer. Sometimes it could be trauma, daemati or perhaps something different.” 

“Is there anything we can do?” 

She shook her head. “Without knowing what caused it, it’s very difficult to figure out best treatment. In my long experience as healer in most cases the memories eventually come back on their own. Sometimes triggered by something, other times with time they get better. We as fae have strong minds, it is very difficult for our memories to be lost forever. Very few cases I’ve seen of that in my time. Usually very powerful daemati was involved... Either way all we can do is give her rest and time.” 

She bowed her head and started walking away, passing by fast approaching Varian and Cresseida and judging by their faces they already heard the news. 

“What were you thinking bringing a random stranger in?” Cresseida hissed and he could tell she was in one of those moods. She loved summer court and people in it so much, which often resulted in her protective stance and mistrust to new visitors. He couldn't blame her though, after all they went through. 50 years under Amarantha followed by brief year of freedom, only to find another war at their doorsteps. It was harder to trust and harder to relax. Tarquin felt once again so tired, much more tired than someone of his age should feel. 

“I took extra precautions as you can see,” Slight nod of his head towards the extra guards standing around “but if she is someone who can cause harm then it is best to keep close eye on her for the time being and here is the best place for that. Varian, could you get extra rotation of guards to patrol the palace in the next few days while we figure out whether she’s safe or not?” 

Varrian gave slight nod of his head and Tarquin informed them he was planning to ask her to stay in one of the guest bedrooms upstairs, not too far from his own. 

Cresseida looked like she wanted to say something but thought better of it and he knew she was going to be difficult for the time being. Varian’s face didn’t betray much and he didn’t try to argue which meant he must be in a good mood. Probably his very recent visit to Amren. 

After they said goodbyes he entered the room Annaleigh was waiting. She looked so out of place he thought. She was standing by the large windows, gazing at the turquoise sea, shimmering thanks to the sun high above them, her arms tightly wrapped around her. This part of the house was his favourite. The windows directly positioned to offer best view of the golden beach below and the sky always looked so clear here, painted in various shades of light and deep blue. It was the view that bought him few minutes of peace when he couldn’t escape the Palace. It looked even better on the higher levels. His bedroom was on the third floor, and his bedroom along with the few guest ones down the corridor provided the best views, from the balconies attached to the rooms. 

She heard him approach and turned towards him, her eyes meeting his and once again that day, he felt that feeling of fire in his veins. This was going to be harder than he thought. 

“Khalia said there is a chance you might regain your memories but there’s not much that can be done at the minute other than waiting. I would like to offer you a place to stay here for a bit, as a guest, while you get yourself settled a bit and figure out what to do from here.” 

Small smile came across her face before she simply said “Thank you, I appreciate it.” 

There was so much he wanted to ask her and find out but he knew, she probably knew as much as he did about herself so he let it go for now. Tomorrow they could start working on what she did and didn’t know but until then she could do with a bit of rest. 

“I will have one of servants show you to your room and take you to dinner. I’m afraid I won’t be able to join you tonight. High lord duties.” Tarquin announced. “Have a short rest and you’re welcome to look around the palace. I could give you official tour around tomorrow after breakfast?” 

Polite nod to her head “That sounds perfect.” 

He wondered once again what he gotten himself into as he made his way towards his next meeting leaving her once gazing out the window. Tomorrow, he promised himself. He will get to know her and work on her mysterious appearance tomorrow. For now, he had advisors waiting for the next meeting to which he was almost late and he didn’t want to give them reasons to think he was not only young but irresponsible. There was so much to rebuild after the last attack on his court before the war and the damage lied much deeper than just that of nearby buildings. He often found himself wishing he had someone like Rhys has Fayre or Kallias has Viviene. Someone to share the burden with and someone he could wake up with in the morning to share simple happy moments. Perhaps one day he will have the pleasure of finding his mate. He could only hope but he knew despite their long lives, some never managed to find their destined other while others suffered because of the match. The Lord of night court and the Lord of winter Court were one of the very few lucky ones he knew. Perhaps one day that could also be him. 

As he reached the meeting room, he put his best high lord face on, which he has been practicing lately and entered the next meeting which no doubt was going to take the rest of his day


	3. Chapter 3

She was surrounded by silky smooth material, surprisingly cool against her body and as she opened her eyes, she found herself confused for a minute. She was in bed, one of most comfortable beds she has ever slept in. The covers were made out of baby blue silk and the large bed with four bed posts was decorated by chiffon curtains. Her bedroom was large, with the wall to her left being made up of full-length windows and a door that led to balcony with the perfect view towards the endless sea below. The floor had simple but very comfortable looking carpet and the walls were matching the colour of her bed covers, decorated by all kinds of seashells. It was a beautiful room with a bathroom to her right. She remembered now she was in summer Court, in the guest bedroom at Tarquin’s Palace. 

By the time servant appeared to inform her breakfast will be served soon, she was already showered and dressed in one of simple dresses she found in the closet. It was typical summer fashion, floaty mid length dress, white with some blue and gold accents around. She slowly made her way to the dining room she saw yesterday, her stomach clenching in nerves. Would there be a crowd? Was breakfast here formal or could she hope for something casual? It didn’t help she didn’t know anyone here besides Tarquin and even then, she knew him mostly by his name only so far. 

Amazing scent of freshly baked pastry distracted her from her thoughts and instead of making her way towards dining room she chose to follow the scent which unsurprisingly led her towards the kitchen. She hesitated briefly at the door, then entered and looked around. She had very faint feeling she remembered something like this. The smell of freshly baked pastry, the sound of banging pans and voices through the kitchen, the humid air. Has she worked in a kitchen before or just loved cooking? 

“Can I help you?” Voice greeted her and she turned to see one of chef’s attention on her 

Soft blush appeared on her cheeks “Sorry I didn’t mean to intrude it just smelled amazing and I... I was wondering if I could help out with breakfast?” 

The chef eyed her for what appeared to be longest minute of her life then smiled and said “Happens one of our staff had to take a day off. Do you know anything about baking bread?” 

She replied with smile of her own “I think I do” 

* 

She found she was able to make few basic recipes with very little help, her body doing step by step without much thought from her and she left feeling content, some part of her really enjoying the experience. She decided she must ask Tarquin if during her stay she could help out there as she went to meet him for her tour. It only seemed fair she did something while staying here and she knew inside that kitchen was where she felt quite comfortable. She also had a feeling maybe it might help her remember something about who she was. She wasn’t familiar with many of the dishes served here but she found she did know the basics and she could learn the rest. 

Tarquin waited by the stairs in the main whole, his long white hair almost shimmering in the sunlight coming through the windows and she wanted to reach out and run his hair between her fingers, just to find out what it would feel like to touch. 

“Good Morning Annaleigh, shall we?” he offered his arm to her and she hesitantly reached out to link them. 

“Good morning lord, beautiful Palace you have from the glimpses I caught so far.” 

He visibly cringed “Tarquin, please. I’m working on things being a little less formal between me and others in my court.” 

She gave a soft smile towards him “Tarquin, then.” She decided she liked the way it sounded when she said it. 

They walked around Palace and held light conversation about his duties as high lord and summer Court. He told her briefly about how much the court has been hit in the recent war and the rebuilding was still very much an ongoing issue. Despite everything the Palace and the surrounding areas were something out of fairy-tale. Buildings seem to lightly glow as you walked past and the rich green hills surrounding the area were basking in the sunshine but that wasn’t her favourite part of the walk. Her favourite part was when they reached the beach and this time, she could carefully take a look at the area. She noticed how the sky reflected in water surface and the sand was shimmering under the sunlight. The way the air here had lightly salty, fresh scent. She noticed for the first time how many boats were seen in the distance and some fisherman not too far ready to come back to the port and set up market stalls. 

It seems they finally reached the end to polite chat as Tarquin glanced at her with bit of apprehension before he said “Do you remember anything at all from before you woke up here?” 

She gave it a minute to ponder his question “I remember... Some flashes and little bits about me but not much. There are some childhood memories but as if there’s something preventing me from fully remembering everything even then. I think I was an only child. I remember my name is Annaleigh and I think I’m 30 years old. My parents are dead... I remember there was a place near where I lived. It was special place to me as a child, near the river if I remember correctly but I can’t remember where exactly it was or where my home was. I also seem to enjoy cooking... Can I help in the kitchen?” 

Look of surprise entered his face “If that’s what would make you happy, I don’t see why not, there’s always more hands needed in the kitchen.” 

Soft smile on his lips and she couldn’t help noticing how much younger he suddenly looked. He was definitely a handsome male but it seemed like the events he went through that he vaguely mentioned have aged him. When he smiled, his face seemed to become softer and she wanted to know what he’d look like with a real smile on his face, the kind that would make his turquoise eyes sparkle. She wanted to know what his laugh sounded like, the kind of laugh when you’re gasping for breath clutching your sides. She hoped, she might get to experience both at some point. 

That thought startled her. She didn’t even really know this male, so where did those thoughts come from? She didn’t even know who she really was at this point. How could she even become someone’s friend when she wasn’t sure where her path was to lead her? She wasn’t certain where her home was. What she left behind or if she was going to stay in this court for a while. It was best to keep distance for now, while she figured out who she was. 

Then they walked back, making polite conversation along the way about summer court dishes. She would have to study various different sea food dishes she’s never even heard about and was more than happy to learn about lovely desserts they made from their selection of summer fruit. It was what she needed at the minute, some kind of purpose to help her focus. She was so lost with where she stood with her memory loss. Part of her, was oddly calm about it and then there was the other part, the one that wanted to despair at how hopeless she felt if she let her thoughts run wild. 

“I will see you later at dinner.” Tarquin said as parting words when they made it back to the palace. She decided to spend the afternoon in library with various cookbooks, joyfully studying the recipes. It was only when her stomach loudly rumbled that she seemed to remember the world outside, and looked up at the big clock on the wall. It was time to make appearance at the dinner table.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not really certain how it's meant to work in the courts in regards to choosing to help in kitchen etc so I decided to base it a bit on informal setting, if you wish to help you can like it was done in night court when Elain was found to be helping.   
> Currently working on chapter 6 & 7 and it seems like it's taking me longer to write so I'm glad I'm a little bit ahead.  
> Once again thanks for reading!


	4. Chapter 4

When she reached the dining room, she noticed she was the last one to arrive. The table was set up with all kinds of dishes in the middle. From simple salads and some basic sides to creative sea food dishes she would have to try to discover what they were. Tarquin was sitting at the head of the table engaged in a conversation with a female and male sitting to his left, and when he noticed her, he gestured to the empty sit to his right. 

She felt all eyes on her as she sat down. “Sorry I’m late.” 

“It’s alright we were just starting,” replied Tarquin “I don’t think you’ve had chance to meet my cousins, Cresseida and Varian.” 

They were both beautiful fae, sharing few resemblances to Tarquin. Cresseida smiled first. “It’s nice to finally meet you, hope you’ve been enjoying your stay so far in our court?” Despite the smile on her face, both she and Varian seemed to be bit wary, cold even, watching her carefully which did nothing for her building nerves. 

“It’s beautiful. It will take a bit of getting used to the hot weather but I’m excited to explore the summer court.” 

“Yes, we’ve been told before it’s difficult at first to get used to the climate here. We have few people around from Spring court, it was quite a shock to them when they moved over.” Tarquin mentioned. 

“There are few overcast days here and there to give break from the sun and make the days more bearable but I'm afraid it stays hot all year around.” Added Varian. 

They began eating and she did her best to follow the conversation and contribute but when it taken turn towards situations between courts, she tuned it out a bit, focusing her attention on her second that evening glass of wine. It wasn't very late but she was exhausted. So much to get used to in this new place and while they have been welcoming to her, she could tell there was bit of reservations in them. She also felt a bit out of place. 

“Hope we’re not boring you.” Cresseida’s voice suddenly cut through. 

“Cresseida!” Tarquin hissed. 

“Clearly she’s not been enjoying our company.” Cresseida coolly added. 

“I’m sorry it’s been long day. What were you saying?” There was small blush creeping up Annaleigh’s cheeks. 

“We were wondering if perhaps you maybe came from Spring court. Lots of people migrated here following Tamlin’s actions in recent war.” Varian mentioned watching her closely. 

She’s tried to think about anything she knew of the high lord of Spring court but nothing came up. Her vague and very few memories didn’t show much of what her court looked like, that thin curtain around her mind struggling to pick up any details. It’s as if she was looking at messed up painting, few details clear as day but rest so blurry it was hard to tell anything apart.” 

She dismissively shook her head. “Nothing I can remember that would lead to spring court but it’s a possibility.” 

“Do not worry it will take a bit of time. Healer mentioned it can take time and anything could trigger a memory. If there’s anything at all you remember that could help in finding out who you were let me know and I’ll do my best assist in whatever way I can, perhaps even getting in touch with other courts requesting a meeting. I knew one day High lord privileges would come in handy.” Tarquin joked and she was glad for the mood change. 

“Thank you I appreciate it.” She blamed it on the wine when she teased “I’ll be sure to make a use of those high lord privileges. Perhaps I might even get discount on this shaved ice you mentioned earlier.” 

Tarquin to her relief laughed, and soon they all said goodnight and went separate ways. 

* 

Next morning, she was up little past sunrise, it being her first day at work. She chose the early morning till noon shift, giving her the rest of the day to explore. She also wasn’t certain she could cope yet in the hot kitchen in the afternoon here. From the brief help she gave in the kitchen yesterday morning she was fairly confident about helping with preparing breakfast. She felt if she chose dinner service, she’d be thrown in deep end with too many dishes she hasn’t even heard of until yesterday. Morning was safer choice for now. Being overwhelmed was last thing she needed, already feeling quite overwhelmed and lost with her loss of memories and finding herself in new court. 

She slowly made her way to the kitchen appreciating how silent the palace felt so early in the morning, mostly only servants being up to help prepare everything for the day ahead. Kitchen was just as quiet, the chef from yesterday already there together with couple of other fae, making preparations for the breakfast. He assigned her to work today with one of the fae females, so she could get used to everything and as they begun making bread from scratch, she was glad for the sense of familiarity she felt from this. It felt relaxing to be somewhere where she knew a bit about what she was doing. She felt like here, she could feel in control about at least a part of her life. She observed the other fae when she could, they all seemed comfortable in each other's company, knowing well how to work together. She longed for that feeling of belonging and being comfortable somewhere. 

She thought after last night she may have been making little progress in getting to know Tarquin. He seemed little bit more relaxed in her company last night. She knew his cousins were another matter. She wondered briefly about the high lord. She knew why he was wary and tense of new people. It was to be expected but she wondered what he would have been like if the heavy responsibilities weren’t shoved onto him at such young age. He told her he was 80, which was very young in high lord standards. She didn’t know the story about how he came to be the high lord of summer Court already but she hoped perhaps one day he can share the details with her. She was starting to warm up to him a little bit. From the few observation she made over past couple of days he seemed kind and considerate. The kind of high lord people could look up to. She knew his age most likely meant there were some barriers between him and his people, but she was certain he was going to be high lord his court could be proud of, if they weren’t already. 

While the court was beautiful, during her explorations yesterday she noticed how worn down and damaged some parts were. Faes were working hard together rebuilding and fixing. Tarquin mentioned it was slow process but they’ve been making steady improvement in the last few weeks. She couldn’t help being curious where she was during the recent war and if her homeland suffered as much. She knew the summer Court was one of the courts hit the hardest, together with the spring Court but she didn’t know much about what the situation was like in the others. The unease returned and she decided to push thinking about this to the back of her head. She had breakfast to get through and she didn’t want to slow down the other fae she was paired with.


	5. Chapter 5

Hands slowly run down her naked stomach, and settled at her hips. She heard him whispering her name under his breath “Annaleigh,” next to her ear. She could hear the need in his voice and the tightness in her stomach in anticipation of what was to come next. His form towered above hers and she wrapped her arms around his neck. He lifted her hips slightly and positioned himself between her legs, never letting go of her. She heard him say her name once more... 

Loud knock on her door roused her out of her dream. 

“I’ll be just a minute!” She shouted and Heard the footsteps outside walking away from her room. She turned to lie on her back, trying to slow down her rapidly beating heart. It felt odd to have this kind of dream but she couldn’t help but feel like it awakened something inside her. She desperately wanted to know how it ended. She couldn’t remember many details about her mysterious dream lover. She couldn’t remember much about the dream anymore for that matter, it all felt hazy in her memory. 

She got off the bed and pulled open the curtains, bright sun catching her off guard. She must have slept in. It was her day off, and she knew the servant at her door few minutes ago must mean breakfast is to be served soon. 

She thought perhaps about skipping it in favour of long bath and maybe visiting the local cafe near the beach that her new workmates recommended to her. Over the last few days, she didn’t have much time to go explore area, her work taking her morning and her afternoons spent going through the various books and menus given to her by the chef to study. 

Bath, she decided. 

She spent good hour in there then headed out. The café was just as she imagined. Outside, at the front there was little garden with plenty of flours growing along the fence. On both sides of the large French style door were white round tables with few small chairs around them, hidden under large umbrellas from the early afternoon sun. On the inside similar style seemed to follow, large windows decorated by plants and net curtains. White furniture went along well with the cream-coloured walls and light brown wooden floors. Fresh flowers stood at the top of every table and at the front of café were large displays of freshly baked goodies that made her mouth water. Behind the bar there were couple of coffee machines and a large menu. It was very clearly popular place by the amounts of people gathered both inside and outside. She got iced coffee and couple of pastries to try, she was very lucky she managed to find an empty table by one of the windows and settled down to enjoy her food, looking out at the busy streets of Adriata. 

“Mind if I sit here?” 

She lifted her head to look at person this voice belonged to. Cresseida. 

“Go ahead” Annaleigh said and tried to give the female nice smile. She had to admit she felt a little bit uncomfortable in Cresseida’s presence but she was willing to try and be on friendly terms with her. It would be nice to have some female company sometimes. 

“I’m sorry about yesterday,” The female across from her begun. “Tarquin mentioned I wasn’t very polite and for that I’m sorry. It’s been a while since we’ve had anyone stay with us and I will make more of an effort. Friendships don’t come easily to me and after everything that went on, we’re a bit on the edge here.” She hesitated for a minute “I’d like to start over?” 

“I’d like that.” 

The conversation was awkward at times, both seeming to struggle, but it friendly enough. They found they both shared a bit of sweet tooth and Cresseida was more than happy to tell her which baked goods Annaleigh had to try next time she came here. They parted ways after just over an hour, Cresseida needing to make her way back to the palace for her duties. Annaleigh decided to enjoy the day outside and decided to wander around the centre of the town, window shopping. 

Her afternoon went in blink of an eye. She even gotten to know a little bit the locals, finding them to be quite friendly and open, despite horrors they faced recently. They were willing to share stories with her of what it’s been like here during the hybern attack on their city and fill in the blanks for her from the very brief story Tarquin mentioned to her before. 

Her last stop was the beach. She started walking back the way she came from, and not long into her walk she spotted Tarquin. She called out to him and greeted him when he turned to look at her. 

“Unexpected to see you here.” She felt she was really starting to get more comfortable around the high lord. 

“Annaleigh,” he smiled “It’s nice to see you. I was going for a walk not far from here. Perhaps you’d like to join me?” 

“Lead the way” She smiled. 

They’ve walked near the beach towards the paths leading onto one of the smaller hills. 

Tarquin first broke the comfortable silence “I wanted to apologise for Cresseida but I’ve heard she beat me to it.” 

“We bumped into each other at the café, all is fine.” 

“I’m glad to hear that. Cresseida, is... very protective, which sometimes leads her to not being the greatest company around new people. She means well but she can come across unfriendly sometimes.” Tarquin replied. 

They made a turn following the narrow path and came towards the edge of the hill, the view stealing her breath. Dark blue sky faded into shades of purple and then pink, small amounts of bold orange near the lowering sun, ready to disappear below the horizon. The previously turquoise sea turned into deep shades of blue with some pink and golden streaks reflected in the calm waves. It seemed like the world stopped, nothing disturbing the feeling of serenity this view brought upon them. 

They gazed across them in silence for few more minutes before she softly broke the silence. 

“I don’t think I've ever seen something so beautiful. Thank you for showing it to me.” 

“I come here often. When being high lord becomes overwhelming and I need to feel like me again I come here. I hope this place might become something like this for you.” 

“What was your life like before you became the high lord?” She asked. 

He pondered the question for a moment, “I was an admiral in another city, Sea always seemed to call to me and every day felt like adventure. It was a good life. Then Amarantha happened.” 

“Amarantha?” She asked. 

“She set up her court under the mountain, enslaving most of Prythian.” 

She sensed he didn’t want to discuss this topic so she settled for “And then you became the high lord.” 

“And then I became the high lord.” He confirmed.


	6. Chapter 6

The past few days have been uneventful for Annaleigh. The day after their meeting Tarquin had to leave, to attend high lord meetings regarding new treaty and suddenly summer court felt empty. It was like Tarquin took with him the liveliness of the court and the halls felt empty, silence lingered. 

It was because of that, or perhaps because she started to feel like she was missing the high lord’s presence, she decided to ask Cresseida out to lunch. The female began to grow on her in the last few days, being the only person she spoke to other than faes she worked with and few others of the staff. 

Annaleigh arrived first; at the same café they’ve been to last time. Omething about this place made her feel relaxed. 

She didn’t have to wait long before she heard Cresseida’s voice. 

“Sorry I’m late. Court duties again. Tarquin left behind good amount of paperwork for me to go through in his absence.” 

“Sounds like you have your hands full,” Annaleigh replied “And here I thought Tarquin was a dutiful high lord.” 

Cresseida laughed “Not when it comes to paperwork. He always puts his duty first and does everything he can for his court but if he can pass of the paperwork to someone else he will.” 

“Usually you I’m guessing,” Soft smile crossing Annaleigh’s lips. 

“Yes,” Cresseida sighted “But he’s back tonight and then I can return to my normal jobs.” 

“Tonight?” Annaleigh quickly repeated and felt her heart skip a beat. 

Cresseida’s eyebrow shot up and her lips curved into a smirk “I’d say you’re really looking forward to Tarquin coming back.” 

Was she? She guessed she was, she felt like she found friendship in him. But what was this sudden feeling when she heard Tarquin is coming back? She was starting to wonder if she was developing some kind of feelings for the high lord. She really wasn’t sure how she felt and wasn’t even sure if she was ready to figure it out. She was glad Tarquin was here, he helped her enormously by offering her a place to stay and even his company when she didn’t have anyone. There definitely was attraction but any more than that Annaleigh didn’t know, for all she knew she could have been mistaking her gratitude for something more. 

Annaleigh cleared her throat “We’ve become... friends.” 

Cresseida looked at her like she had more to say but decided against it for which Annaleigh was glad. What Annaleigh didn’t tell Cresseida was, she was looking for a house of her own. She loved staying at palace and being in her and Tarquin’s company but she constantly felt like she was imposing in a way. Like she didn’t belong there. Tarquin was very kind and generous offering her a place to stay but she couldn’t rely on that forever. It just didn’t feel right to her and pay even for the stuff in palace was generous so she shouldn’t have much trouble finding somewhere. She just wasn’t sure how to tell them yet. 

Another thing on her mind has been her missing memory. She wanted to give it time but she was becoming impatient, she knew she had to do something but wasn’t sure what. It seems like she reached a standstill point while the world kept moving on without her. 

Annaleigh brought her attention back to her untouched pastries, Cresseida already over half way done. and her now lukewarm cup of coffee. 

* 

Tarquin arrived back at the palace just after sun’s gone down. He could have stayed another day but he was impatient to get back, dealing with other high lords taking a lot of his energy. The meetings seemed to go on and on, none of the parties seemed to be able to reach any agreement. He and the night court were willing to work with humans, Tamlin might have as well not been there and the autumn court didn’t want to hear any of it. Kallias and the remaining lords willing to engage in discussion even if they weren’t making any of it the easiest and the human representatives while keen on getting their ideas across, struggled to get to the constantly arguing high lords. 

He was exhausted and all he wanted to do was go upstairs and let sleep claim him but he knew he still had one last thing to do and that was to find Cresseida and discuss what he missed in his absence. Thankfully he didn’t have to look long as she was waiting for him in his office. 

“Good to see you again dear cousin. Everything went ok while I was away?” 

“I see Varian didn’t come back yet. Let me guess, another visit to night court?” Cresseida asked “Nothing happened that you’d have to worry about. Just the usual, more meetings requested in regards to rebuilding Adriata, some more paperwork just arrived but other than that everything was fine.” 

Tarquin nodded “How has our guest been doing?” 

“No progress on her memory. She’s been fine.” 

Tarquin nodded again and Cresseida watched him for a minute. She hesitated for a minute. 

“You’ve... grown fond of her.” 

It wasn’t a question so he knew he didn’t have to answer but he still confirmed with simple “Yes.” 

He realised over last few days that he’s had grown fond of her and started to look forward to her company. If he was honest with himself, he knew the reason he returned early wasn’t as much because he couldn’t wait to get home but because he felt a pull towards the female. He couldn’t quite wrap his finger around it, it felt different to anything he experienced before. 

“You’re hesitating. Why?” Cresseida asked. 

“I’m not sure she feels the same. I’m not quite sure what this is either, I just know I want to find out more but her focus is right now on finding herself. I don’t want to get in the way of that.” 

He just hoped she might grow to feel something for him eventually. They’ve had lot of time after all, and she was only few rooms away. The palace started feeling bit more like home to him recently with her company. 

At first, she seemed to blend into the shadows and her discomfort was clear to anyone but lately she started coming out of her shell more and her smiles were contagious. He just wanted to be around her. 

Cresseida proceeded to showed him everything she did while he was away. They discussed everything that needed his attention in detail, so that he would be ready for tomorrow’s morning meetings he’d have to attend. After they were done, he made his way towards his bedroom. He knew it was too late for her to be awake now and he was ready for some much-needed sleep. He settled for looking forward to seeing her again tomorrow.


	7. Chapter 7

She woke up with a spring to her step. She felt that perhaps today everything would fall into place. It’s like she woke up and just knew what it was she needed to do, as if she finally saw clearly. She couldn’t really say what inspired the change but she felt like she was ready to start finding out answers to her questions. She was sure that was what she needed. Days went by and her hope of something just coming to her faded further and further away. Today would be different, she thought. Today, she was not willing to leave her life to chance. 

She’s decided her first step will be to see the healer who checked her when she arrived. Perhaps she might know something that might help. She remembered vaguely what was said but maybe the healer thought of something else that could help. She had to have that hope, and even if she couldn’t help her, then at least she would know she tried something. 

The palace healer wasn’t usually hard to find, she knew she had an office here and when she wasn’t in her small office at the palace, she definitely would be in the little building few minutes' walk from the palace, where few other healers lived and saw some local patients. 

She didn’t have much luck with the office at the palace so she quickly turned and headed outside. 

* 

She knocked softly on the large, dark door and was greeted by a fae she never saw before. 

“Can I help?” The fae at the door asked with a kind smile, showing off her perfect white teeth. 

“I’m looking for a healer who saw to me when I arrived at the palace few weeks ago.” 

The white-haired young fae watched her carefully for a minute. She couldn’t have been older than seventeen. Small flicker of recognition appeared on her face. 

“Ah you’re the fae who lost her memories! Khadija mention you. She always said I needed to study all kinds of things but I thought this area wouldn’t be needed. Well until you arrived...” She paused briefly and then blushed “Sorry! I’m being very rude! Khadija always says I talk too much and say inappropriate things to patients. Hope you can forgive me. I’m quite new to this, well I’m not really fully a healer yet. I’m assisting Khadija and others while I learn. Ah you’d like see Khadija now don’t you? Sorry. I’ll take you to her now, she’s in the office at the back.” 

“Thank you.” Annaleigh replied and followed the girl. 

“How are you finding summer court? We’ve had some fae from spring court here and in the first few weeks after arriving they’ve been here a lot. Well at least the ones who moved to Adriata were. They weren’t used to such heat so they would get bit ill being in the sun to long. I take it you’ve not been too bad as this is the first time you came here. Sorry I’m talking too much, again aren’t I? Well, here we are!” she said and pushed open a small door. 

Khadija glanced up from one of the desks in the room. Spacious office decorated by lots of bookshelves and few desks stood around, all empty now except for the one occupied by Khadija. 

“Annaleigh! What can I do for you today?” 

“I’m hoping you might be able to help me,” Annaleigh started, as the young fae who brought her here left. “It’s about my memory. I’ve been giving it time but nothing has happened so far. There must be something else you might be able to do? Anything?” 

“Are you truly ready to remember?” Khadija asked, observing her carefully. 

“Yes, I think I am,” Annaleigh replied. 

“You think you are or are you sure? Memory is a funny thing. If you’re not truly ready to remember there’s not much that can help you. Or perhaps there’s something you wish you don’t have to remember.” 

“I thought about that. I knew there might be something in my past I may wish I forgot but another part of me feels like there’s a missing piece. I need that piece back.” 

“Why do you think you need to remember? Is it so bad to just start new here? Clean slate?” 

Annaleigh shook her head “It just doesn’t feel right. I don’t feel like I can properly settle down here or anywhere until I know. It feels like something that will always be hoovering over my shoulder. What if I left behind something important or maybe I’ve done something that will come back to me later that I will regret. It just feels best to know.” 

Khadija smiled “I think you might be ready to start facing everything then. The day you arrived you looked afraid. It felt like you weren’t sure if you wanted to remember or not. Now, it seems you finally made up your mind. I still can’t do anything more for you at the minute. You need to find some more answers by yourself and perhaps later there might be something I can work with. You have some partial memories. I would sit down quietly and see where they lead you if you try to push a bit harder. If you remember anything concrete, there might be something there you can look into. There is also section in the library upstairs, that has information about other courts. I would look through those books if I were you, see if anything stands out to you.” 

“Thank you.” Annaleigh replied, politely bowed her head and made her way towards the library. 

* 

She has spent what seemed to be hours trying to make sense of her memories and when that proved to not offer much she turned towards the books. She’s started by looking through brief book outlining briefly all the courts before trying to narrow down her choices. She knew winter court wasn’t going to be the one, the natural icy appearance of the residing fae meaning she didn’t fit there at all. She also knew she wasn’t from summer court originally. She looked at her golden skin now, it darkened significantly from spending time here. Her quite light skin upon arrival meant she couldn’t have been here long. There was close to nothing regarding the night court so she decided to leave that option alone for now. That left day, dawn, spring and autumn courts. 

Looking through book about dawn court didn’t have much of desired effect. She looked at the small paintings included at the back of the book from the court. Gorgeous shades of gold and red seen everywhere. Beautiful works of finest clocks and other similar works. Nothing that stood out to her other than the feeling that she hoped, she could in person see the rising sun as she was sure the paintings couldn't do it it’s justice. 

Next was spring court. She remembered Varian already asked about this and she was sure this wasn’t it but possibly it was worth a look. She once again looked at detailed painting of what seemed like never-ending green. Hills and forests being the main themes, gardens that one could only dream of seeing and lakes, flowing with clear water. It wasn’t until the last painting came into sight that she felt a little stir inside her. There was photo of a long river that seemed to go on forever, surrounded by trees blooming with thousands of tiny pink flowers reflected in the surface of the water flowing beneath them. In the distance, green grass was overrun by purples, pinks and whites, with wild flowers everywhere. She knew this was the place from her memory. The picture now clear in her mind. She had to find this place. 

She’s left in hurry with the book in search of Tarquin. She had to show it to him and hope he knew where it was located. She prayed he did because this was all she had for now. One memory and a painting of a place that could have been anywhere within borders of spring court. 

She found him not long after, leaving one of the meeting rooms. 

“Tarquin!” She called out and run up to him. Her first instinct was to hug him, this being first time she’s seen him after his time away but she stopped herself and tried to school her face to remain neutral. 

“Annaleigh! It’s good to see you again. Anything I can help you with?” His smile... it caused her stomach to clench tightly and she tried her best to ignore it, this not being a good time for her strange reactions to the handsome high lord. 

“Actually, I was hoping you could. I remembered something. One of the places I mentioned before, from my childhood that I loved visiting. I came across it in one of the books in library.” She explained to him about the location being in the spring court and her lack of knowledge about how to find it. He’s led her towards his office, listening intently to what she was telling him. 

“’I’ve not seen much of spring court,” He began and her heart dropped. She had a feeling he didn’t have any good news to tell her judging by his expression. “I will write a letter to spring court requesting help regarding this but... Tamlin has not been... quite himself lately. I’m not sure how much help we can expect from him.” 

“Thank you,” She breathed “I appreciate it.” 

She tried not to dwell on the part where high lord of spring court might not help. This was all she had for now so she would try and remain positive. Finally, she had little hope. 

“I said I would help and I meant it. I’m just sorry I can’t do more. If we do not get reply in the next few days, I will personally winnow to the spring court and speak to Tamlin.” Tarquin replied and smiled at her. 

The smile that seemed to steal her breath away. Oh, how she wanted to kiss him right now. Instead, she settled for a big smile she hoped reflected how much this meant to her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So since I don't think they have photography in this world I imagined they found some ways to work around it and perhaps some books instead of having pictures could have little pockets at the back that would have small papers with mini paintings/drawings.  
> Chapters are starting to get a little bit longer from this chapter on as the story picks up a bit.


	8. Chapter 8

_His lips, warm on her neck leaving trail of kisses as his hands worked at untying the laces at the back of her dress. At last, he finished, and pulled her dress down in one swift move, before leading them towards the bed. She collapsed and closed her eyes as he climbed on top of her, his lips now teasing her nipples as her hands wandered down his broad back. It wasn’t long before his hands slowly run down her naked stomach, and settled at her hips. She heard him whispering her name under his breath “Annaleigh,” next to her ear. She could hear the need in his voice and her stomach tightened in anticipation of what was to come next. She needed this just as much, not in the mood for teasing, she just needed him today. He sensed her need. His form towered above hers and she wrapped her arms around his neck. He lifted her hips slightly and positioned himself between her legs, never letting go of her. She heard him say her name once more. She opened her eyes to look at him, his face buried between her neck and shoulder, only his wild red hair visible. “Please, hurry” she whispered._

Another dream. Or continuation of the first one. She vaguely remembered that dream before. It was shorter version of this dream before. Some more details becoming clear now.

She frowned. First time it felt like a very good dream but now, now it felt more like she experienced this before.

She thought back to what she saw in her dream and wondered if her dream lover could have been real. If he was, was it recent or old one? Just as she tried to recall what she knew from her dream about him there was loud knock on her door.

“High lord requested you join him in his office. Something important he said.” Voice from the other side of the door said without waiting for her reply.

“I’ll be right there!” Annaleigh called out and jumped out of bed to get dressed.

*

Door to his office was open, his turquoise eyes on her. Of course, he would have heard her approach. His fae hearing more sensitive than that of most, being trained to hear slightest of sounds.

“You called?” She asked.

“Reply arrived from spring court.”

Her heart stopped for a second. It’s been few days since they’ve sent the letter but after what Tarquin said she wasn’t expecting a reply so soon, if she even expected one.

“What does it say?”

“He said he recognised the place. I’ve made sure that he got the little painting along with the letter. It’s a river near one of smaller villages, very close to autumn court territory. If you’d like...” He hesitated briefly, like he was questioning if he should finish the sentence. “If you’d like, I could winnow us there, so we could take look around?”

She wasn’t sure she heard him correctly “You’d go with me?”

Tarquin nodded, looking a bit uncertain, and she felt happiness spread through her. She wouldn’t have to do this alone.

She was already mentally prepared about the long trip to make by herself and worried about making it on her own, knowing spring territory was mostly abandoned and unsure of how safe this trip would be by herself. It felt like little bit of invisible weight was taken off her shoulders now.

“I would like that.” She smiled and he gave her a smile in return.

They were set to leave after lunch the following day.

*

It looked just as she remembered and she nearly cried out. Longing, happiness, grief and nostalgia slammed into her all at once, and she wasn’t sure what it is she’s meant to feel. She could feel it deep within her, how this place was special to her and yet the thing she expected didn’t happen. She didn’t suddenly get all her memories back. She couldn't say much came back to her at all, it was as if she visited a place from her dream. All there was, was a little flicker of recognition from her and a small memory came to her. Her, in much smaller body, sitting by the side of river.

She remembered she sneaked out of her home that day, often doing that because her parents wouldn’t have let her come on her own or even come at all. She sat by the river and as she stared at it, suddenly it felt like stuff would be ok. It was the space hidden from view under a tree where she felt she could unload heavy burdens and leave with fresh hope. But there was also huge unease. Smallest of noises made her small body jump and she was constantly looking around as if she was worried about being discovered. She couldn’t remember why. Annaleigh just recognised that it was something she felt most times she came here. Something making her uneasy even in this place that always gave her happiness.

She took a deep breath and he looked at her with worry.

“It’s ok. I think we should just walk around for a bit.”

She loved it, the smell of fresh flowers, the singing of birds, the beautiful reflections in the surface of the river and the path laid out in pink petals. It felt so close and yet so far. The memory she remembered didn’t fill her with happiness she expected. She just seemed to have more questions.

They’ve walked around in silence for a while, she could tell he was giving her space to think and sort out what she needed to but what if he found out it was all for nothing?

“There’s little village nearby I told you about. I thought you might like to visit it and see if there’s any memories there?” Tarquin broke the silence and she was glad he didn’t ask her anything yet.

“Yes, let’s go.”

*

If the river didn’t give much information to her about who she was or where she came from, the village gave nothing at all. It felt as if she visited for the first time. She frowned. Tarquin said this was the only village nearby yet she didn’t recoil anything about this place at all. The village felt a bit like ghost town. Very little life and only few fae around hurrying about their day.

But if this didn’t bring back anything then what would? Was it a lost cause? Or maybe she just needed a little more time and to give herself a chance. She hoped that was it.

She felt his eyes on her once more but she wasn’t ready to face him just yet.

“Should we look around for a bit?” She asked and turn to walk ahead. Whatever he planned to say, he decided against it and followed her.

There really wasn’t much to see here. It was tiny village. Only handful of small wooden houses, one quite empty store judging from the window, odd looking inn for this place and a tiny hut with what seemed to have a healer. She wasn’t certain the healer was still here. If she didn’t see the few fae earlier she would of thought nobody lived here.

Before she knew it the sun started setting. She didn’t want to leave. She wasn’t ready yet. She finally had something, however small and didn’t want to give up just yet. Maybe if only she stayed a bit longer...

Tarquin cleared his throat

“It’s getting late Annaleigh.”

“It is,” She confirmed and before she could change her mind she asked “Would you mind if I stayed the night here? I saw little inn when we were passing by, I might be able to stay there.”

Tarquin considered her for a moment before he replied “Then I shall stay too. I wouldn’t feel right to leave you on your own here.”

“I couldn’t ask you to-”

Before she had a chance to finish Tarquin said “I want to.”

He caught her off guard completely and, in that moment, she felt glad he was here with her. She was thankful it was this thoughtful and considerate high lord she found herself meeting that day.

“Ok,” soft smile on her face and they set off towards the inn.

The inn wasn’t much better than the rest of the village, tables inside empty and the bar looked like it was abandoned long ago. She wondered briefly if it was the right idea to stay and was glad once more, she didn’t have to do it alone.  
They headed towards the desk and rang the bell. Soon after a kind looking male appeared greeting them warmly.

“How can I help?” He asked and looked from Annaleigh to Tarquin. A look of recognition passed his face and he bowed slightly towards the high lord

“We were wondering if there’s any rooms for us to stay?” Tarquin asked.

“Yes of course. We never did get a lot of visitors here and now... most of us have left. Very few remained following what happened with our high lord.” He paused briefly “There is a little dining room down the hall if you would like anything to eat. One room?”

“Two please.” Tarquin replied and the male handed two keys their way.


	9. Chapter 9

The owner of the inn told them the bar was mostly shut now due to the lack of fae living here now but at the back of the inn there was small restaurant linked to the dining room where they could get something to eat. They decided to do that first but ate mostly in silence. This place was too quiet with only the owner around so neither of them wanted to bring up the discussion about Annaleigh’s memories yet. 

They made little small talk with the owner but other than that, little bit of awkward silence lingered. As soon as they finished their meals, they made their way up the stairs to their rooms. 

The room wasn’t much to look at. Tiny and not well taken care of. A small doubled bed with thin bedsheets was just under the naked window, opposite it a small dresser. Next to her was an old looking table with a single chair and a mini fireplace was to her right. The room allowed for very small walking space between all this and it looked like it was in a need of good cleaning but this was all they had so she would make this work for a night. 

As she sat down and thought about preparing to go sleep, she felt a little bit uneasy. She wasn’t sure why. It could have been just that she was used to the busy feel of the palace and here it felt like silence was consuming. It was a lonely feeling. 

It wasn’t long before she heard a knock on her door. 

Tarquin’s voice called out to her and she invited him in. 

“I hope I’m not imposing,” he began “I was wondering if you were ok? You’ve been very quiet since we arrived here.” 

She sighted loudly “Sit down” She patted the sit next to her on the bed and he made his way over to her. 

“I just...” she started and she wasn’t sure how to finish. It felt as if she had so much to say and yet in this moment nothing came to her. 

“Did you... remember anything?” Tarquin asked. 

“Not properly,” she replied and told him in detail about the memory she had of her as a child. 

He seemed to think for a minute 

“You said you were around 30. I was thinking about this before, it meant you were born during Amarantha’s time.” 

She frowned; she was sure she remembered the river but it wouldn’t make sense she was here if she was supposed to be under the mountain. 

“But then that means I was born under the mountain?” She asked. 

“No. There were no babies born under the mountain. Not all fae were there. Most were but some managed to hide and some high lords helped to hide others. Spring court was left until near the end.” 

She nodded. It did make sense, she really should of thought about this earlier. She was starting to realise she hasn’t been properly thinking about everything, missing the obvious clues. If not for Tarquin now, she was sure this would have taken her a while longer to think through. 

“You said you were feeling uneasy near the river always on you guard. It could be because someone was looking for you or maybe your parents didn’t want you wondering around by yourself. Spring court had lot of creatures roaming around freely its lands back then. You could have been worried about being found by one of them.” 

She nodded again “I... I want to say something else came back but I don’t remember anything else. It feels like you took time off to help me and here we are with nothing.” 

“That’s not true,” Tarquin smiled “Even a small memory brings you closer. At least we know you’ve been here.” 

“That’s true,” She replied “But I really don’t recognise anything here in this village. No matter how much I try to think of anything it just doesn't feel like this is it. But you said this was the only village near.” 

Tarquin thought about this. 

“I said this is the only village near here in the Spring court. The river is very close to the border of the Autumn court. Maybe... maybe that’s where you came from. It would explain having to be on your guard even more. You had to make sure to stay hidden because if you were found you would be brought to Amarantha.” 

It did make some sense, Annaleigh thought. She then remembered her dream, Red haired lover. Of course. While not exclusive to autumn court, most red haired fae were from there. Just like most white-haired fae were to be found in summer court. It would also explain sneaking out to the river while her parents didn’t know. Because they definitely wouldn’t have allowed it if it meant she was in danger. It also explains need to stay on her guard. 

She thought about the Autumn court, she couldn’t recall much other than some basic info most would know but it felt like something was pulling her there now. It seemed like the next stop would have to be there. She would think about it more tomorrow, after they return to Summer court. 

She turned to look at Tarquin and noticed for the first time how close to each other they were sitting. The bed was rather small so there was not much space for them to keep distance, their legs almost touching. 

She watched the high lord with small wonder. His long dark lashes clearly visible from the short distance, his bright turquoise eyes focused on her face. Her gaze lowered, to his full lips. She felt once again the need to kiss him. 

She didn’t have to wonder long if he felt the same. That feeling she had, like she wanted to be near him seemed to affect him just as much. She could feel it now, in the way he looked at her. Ever so slowly his eyes lowered and he shifted his body closer to her. Her heart pounded in her chest now, her stomach tight in anticipation. He leaned forward and at last their lips touched. All her senses intensified and as his lips softly brushed against hers, she forgot about everything else. It was like they were the only people in the world this minute. He smelled like the sea and the warmth radiating off his body made her crave more. She pulled him closer and deepened the kiss. She felt tingling sensation on her lower back as his hand came to rest there. She reached out and touched his cheek, the hunger in their kiss only seemed to intensify and then suddenly he pulled away. 

He cleared his throat and she blinked. Once. Twice. Willing herself to focus. 

“I...” he began and she cut him off. 

“We should go bed. It’s getting late,” She said quickly, wincing a bit about how she said this. 

He froze briefly and his eyes met hers. He looked like he wanted to say more but thought against it and didn’t argue. Instead, he got up to leave. 

She knew she behaved very coldly but she felt like she wasn’t ready to have this discussion. Not just yet. She knew she’d have to apologise to him tomorrow but right now, when her senses came back to her, she wasn’t sure if that kiss was right. 

She knew she wanted him. She felt that strong pull towards him before today but part of her was afraid. Not as much for what she felt for Tarquin but whether this had a chance. She just wasn’t ready to discuss this yet. Not without thinking about this first properly. She was someone who needed to be prepared or she’d get overwhelmed like just now. 

She knew she shouldn’t have returned the kissed if she wasn’t sure they were going in the right direction but at the same time she couldn’t bring herself to regret it. They could discuss it tomorrow. She already felt horrible for cutting him off like that, but right now, it seemed like the whole day caught up to her and she just felt exhausted. 

Tarquin glanced at her just as he reached the door of her room. 

“I hope I didn’t scare you. This kiss... it meant something to me,” Tarquin said quietly “Goodnight Annaleigh. Sleep well.” 

“Goodnight Tarquin,” she softly replied. 

Then he left and she was alone with her thoughts. 

She lied down and pulled the covers closer to her, the mild night was such a change from the hot summer nights she was used to now. 

She remembered the feel of his lips against hers and felt longing deep within her again. He has definitely grown on her and she just hoped her past wouldn’t come back to bite her now that she was starting to make progress with trying to remember. She hoped, after everything about her past started to make sense, and she remembered everything, there still would be space for him in her life. She would somehow find a space there for him. 

She didn’t have long to think about it as before she even realised what was happening her eyelids grew heavy and the gentle feeling of drifting away into sleep came for her.


	10. Chapter 10

She must have paced the length of her tiny room for the hundredth time now. 

She was restless. She gave up on trying to get a good sleep at dawn, when she woke up again and since then found herself unable to sit still. It was way past dawn now. 

She was ready to go back to summer court now but it didn’t seem like Tarquin was awake yet so she tried to keep herself occupied as best as she could. Except there wasn’t much to do and whenever she tried to sit, she couldn’t. Nervous feeling would spread in the pit of her stomach, her chest tight and soon after uncomfortable fidgeting would start, so back to pacing it was. 

If she had to say what was happening, she’d say something about finding out more about her past set of uncomfortable feelings. She just needed to keep busy. She didn’t let herself think deeply about last night, and about the possibility of her being from autumn Court but today it just slammed into her. She knew what autumn Court was. Everyone knew, the ruthlessness and cruelty present there. If she belonged there... Something told her she wasn’t going to enjoy much about what she found. 

Finally, she heard a noise of the door next to hers opening. She didn’t hesitate as she crossed the room in few large steps and swung open her door. 

“Good Morning, are we ready to go back yet?” She hoped the smile on her face was convincing that this was just their normal everyday conversation. 

“Good Morning, would you not like breakfast first?” He asked and she shook her head. 

“No, I’m ok.” 

His eyes lingered on her briefly and then he gave a small nod and they made their way downstairs to check out. As much as she felt she wanted to stay longer the day before, today she needed to get back. 

* 

The winnowing back didn’t take them long, and as soon as they arrived in the summer court she stepped away from Tarquin, made some excuse about needing some fresh air and walked away without giving him a chance to reply. 

It was still quite early in the morning and not many were around the palace yet. She made her way quietly to her room, trying to avoid bringing attention to herself. As she reached her room, she stepped out on the balcony and was greeted by the familiar scent of salty air and few rays of sunshine on her face she grew to love recently. 

She stood there for few minutes just breathing in the fresh air and when sounds of voices started filling her ears, she made her way to the kitchen, hoping for an extra shift. There was so much going on inside her she didn’t want to face yet so she thought keeping busy with work would help. She just needed time. 

Before she knew it, few days have gone past. As soon as she’d finish work, she would make her way out of palace and go for longer walks, not coming back till late in the evening. She hasn’t yet spoken to Tarquin since being back and didn’t even greet Cresseida who she supposed was somewhat of a friend now to her. 

It was on the third night since coming back, she stood on her balcony after coming back from the walk and there was a knock on the door. She had a feeling she knew who it was. 

She called out a quick “come in,” and sat on one of the chairs on the balcony, facing the dark, distant sea as soft footsteps paused to her left. 

“You’ve been avoiding me,” voice said. 

“I didn’t mean to,” she quietly replied after a short break. 

Rhythmic sound of the quiet waves filled her ears. The shimmering reflection of the moon in the surface of the water caught her eye, a small source of light in the distance, the stars above them too small to be reflected in the sea. This felt like home she thought. But it might not be home for much longer. 

“Is it because of the kiss?” He asked and she shook her head. 

“No. Yes. I don’t know.” 

“What’s wrong Annaleigh?” 

She looked at him then, his long hair seemed to glow in the moonlight, and his eyes were such bright contrast to the night, it was hard to look away. 

“I’m sorry if I’ve been distant. I’ve just been feeling... overwhelmed recently. It feels like I’ve started to find a home here and I guess I’m scared I might lose it. I don’t know how to describe it, it’s just... since finding that my home might have been in the autumn court, it feels as if all this might be stolen from me. I don’t know what I left behind, but if I ended up here perhaps, I was running away from something? Also, because it doesn’t feel right to get closer to here, to you, if I might find I need to go back. I thought I was ready to face the memories but now I’m scared of what I might find.” 

He listened attentively to her talk and let her get it all out. After she said it out loud it felt a bit silly to be so worked up. That night after the kiss everything felt fine and then it all caught up to her in the morning and suddenly, she wasn’t so sure of anything anymore. She didn’t want to leave this place but what if she found something in her past that would mean she had to go back? 

His voice brought her back from her thoughts. 

“I understand. When I came back from under the mountain,” he paused and let out a slow breath, “I didn’t feel ready to face anyone. For a while I just wanted to be left alone as much as possible with suddenly finding myself a high lord and being back didn’t feel real for a while. For the longest time it felt like I was on borrowed time and something else would tear me away from my court.” Another pause before he spoke again, “What I’m trying to say, if you feel you want to be alone for a bit to have space to figure everything out, I won’t get in the way of that. If you’d like I can also arrange for you to have few days off work.” 

“That won’t be necessary,” She said. 

Brief silence and she felt the slight breeze on her bare shoulders, nights here were still quite warm, with just enough breeze to make sleeping easier. 

“Tell me what it was like under the mountain.” She requested. 

She felt that sudden stillness to him, then he moved and sat on the empty chair next to her, his eyes focused on the scenery in front of him. 

“It was... horrible for the lack of better word. Every day was filled with new screams and constant scent of blood. I was very young when Amarantha came to rule and my cousin, Nostrus, was a high lord back then.” 

“What happened after?” the quiet question left her lips. 

“He formed an ally with the day and winter court. They wanted to rebel against Amarantha. They’ve made a plan that took years to develop, having to be careful communicating with each other without her knowledge. They failed in the end.” His jaw was tight and his hands were formed into fists in his lap. She could tell how difficult it was for him to talk about it. 

“They gathered us all in the hall. It was mass slaughter. She had to make example out of them. First, winter court suffered her wrath, then the day court and finally summer court. So many were killed that day, together with the high lords in charge. I somehow was spared and the power of high lord chose me. I hated that I was left alive after this. I hated that I had to see this and I hated Notrus for leaving me in the dark, so I had a chance of being spared.” He bit out, sudden anger and disgust laced with his voice. 

“Above all,” he continued, “I hated that I’ve not done anything to help. They worked at freeing us, and I just sat by like an ignorant fool, letting days go by doing nothing to help our situation. I don’t know why the power chose me, but I don’t deserve to be the high lord. I watched our people be tortured and killed, and could do nothing to stop it.” 

She breathed out slowly, all this time she hasn’t even realised his been carrying on his shoulders so much guilt and shame. She was so focused on herself she didn’t even see this or maybe he was just too good at hiding the pain now. 

She wanted to reach out to him but wasn’t sure how to. In the end, she settled for putting her hand over his. 

He looked then to her hand and she laced her fingers through his, hoping he understood what she was trying to say in that gesture. 

“For all it’s worth,” she begun, “I think you’re a good lord. You were young back then and perhaps made some mistakes but you’re here now for your people. You fought for them in the war and you try every day to make summer court worthy home for them. You show kindness and compassion to people and were even willing to help stranger like me. In my eyes, that makes you a good high lord.” 

The tense silence slowly left and comfortable feeling now settled between them as they listened to the calming sounds of the sea. It felt like they’ve grown closer now, the small bond between them growing stronger. They both knew now that the feeling growing between them wouldn’t be very easy to ignore anymore. 

“You said you were worried about what your memories might mean, with the life you’re building now,” his smooth voice broke the silence, “I don’t think you should be worried. Whatever it is, I can help you face it if you let me. If something brings you back to your original home, know that the gates of summer court will always remain open for you, if you ever wished to return. You will always have a home here.” 

With that he looked at her, warmth filled his eyes. He wasn’t foolish enough not to know how much it would hurt now, if she left but he made a promise to himself years ago. He would never become the sort of male who would take her choice away. If there was danger to her, if she let him, he would protect her. If she made the choice to rebuild life in Autumn court, as a high lord, he knew he had the power to keep her here if he wished but he would never do that to her. He would let her go even if it killed him on the inside, and he, would always keep the door open for her. 

It was too late now he knew; he’s already fallen in love with her.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a lighter chapter, sort of in-between the story, just wanted to explore a bit more of Cresseida and Varian and write something on a lighter note, to bring up some friendships rather than just a romance. Enjoy!

Annaleigh left her kitchen shift in a hurry. Recently, she kept getting tiny flashbacks working in the kitchen. She’d remember kneading the bread in a different kitchen, she’d see her hands taking out different tray from the oven than the one she had in her hands, she could see another kitchen late at night and a presence behind her, watching her. 

Her sleep wasn’t much better, restless dreams kept happening more and more often, her waking up covered in sweat but most times she couldn’t even remember what the dreams were about. 

She was tired. 

She knew she needed a good rest soon but she also had to discuss next steps in regards to her autumn court with Tarquin. 

Just as she rounded a corner, she nearly walked straight into Cresseida. 

“Just who I was looking for!” The female announced and grabbed a hold of Annaleigh’s arm, dragging her in the opposite direction to where she was going. 

Cresseida read the confusion on her friends face and explained. “Things have been difficult recently as you must know, and there hasn’t been much happening in Adriata lately other than lot of repairs. Adriata has usually been a lively city, with regular events going on and we’re trying to get back to that. I’m guessing no-one told you we have a little party going on at the back gardens of the Palace tomorrow evening?” 

Annaleigh blinked “No... I haven’t been told.” 

“Well, you know now. So, we are going to go shopping for some dresses. You look like you’re in a need of some company anyway. “ 

Annaleigh sighted. Shopping for dresses wasn’t her idea of fun but she could do with some company. She didn’t have much in terms of clothing other than the few items she has been gifted when she arrived so she probably did need a dress if there was a party to happen. This might be what she needed, afternoon to relax and forget the world. 

“Don’t you have seamstress?” Annaleigh asked, being sure they were all wearing tailored clothing. 

“We do,” Cresseida confirmed, “but I’ve never been out shopping with a friend so thought this would be a good opportunity to change that.” 

* 

Shopping for party dresses definitely wasn’t Annaleigh’s idea of fun. While Cresseida said it wasn’t a formal event, they had to dress a bit more than casually. For her shopping companion, looking good in dresses came easy. She was tall, with slender figure but also had some noticeable curves in the right places. The knee length, fitted dress suited her perfectly. She looked good in everything she tried. 

Annaleigh’s wasn’t as easy to shop for. She was much shorter than the female and gifted with larger hips and butt than her small frame suited. Shopping for fitted dresses wasn’t as easy for her and while Cresseida seemed to think Annaleigh looked perfect in anything, she didn’t share the same opinion. 

“How have you been?” Cresseida asked. 

“Been better,” Annaleigh replied. “Making progress doesn’t feel as good as I’d hope.” 

Her friend nodded her head empathically. “It never does.” 

“Tarquin told me about what happened while Amarantha was in charge.” 

Cresseida tilted her head slightly in acknowledgement “it wasn’t easy. For any of us. Scars run deeper than you think. For us and for the people of our court. Of other courts. Progress has a bittersweet feeling. Moving forward while constantly being reminded of everything that happened. Just as our court started healing, a war broke out.” 

Annaleigh knew the impact it had on the court. She could see the fixed parts and the ones that were still work in progress. Daily, the court pulled together to fix what needed to be done and she admired that they all came closer together as a result. 

Before she could form a reply, a dress appeared in line of her vision, held by her shopping companion. 

“Try this one.” The female said with a smile. 

It was champagne coloured dress, strapless and lightly fitted going just above Annaleigh’s knee. The material was light enough to be comfortable in the heat of summer. It was gently shimmering under the sun coming from the window near them, which would bring attention to the dress despite its plain design. 

“I like the look of this one,” was Annaleigh’s answer and she grabbed the dress to try it on. When she was done, she came out to show Cresseida, who looked very pleased with her choice. 

“Tarquin will love you in that.” 

Annaleigh felt a bit of heat in her cheeks and was about to protest but decided against it. She knew her friend already had an idea there was something between them, so there was no point denying it. In truth, even Annaleigh wasn’t fully certain what was going on between her and Tarquin but she decided not to think too deeply about it for now. She just enjoyed his company and the steady feeling being around him provided. 

They paid for their dresses and slowly made their way back to the Palace rnjoying light conversations along the way. 

* 

Tarquin recalled briefly agreeing to the party being thrown. He had known his people needed something to look forward to and if he was honest with himself, he, together with his cousins could use a small break from duties. What he didn’t recall agreeing to, was being left with Varian to organise the said event. 

Usually, Cresseida was the one in charge of things like this and he thought this time would have been the same. How wrong he was. Cresseida nearly dragged Annaleigh out of Palace with the excuse of much needed dresses shopping for Annaleigh and left him and Varian with everything to plan for tomorrow’s party. He didn’t have much idea about ladies' fashion and what was needed so he safely avoided the topic by agreeing with Cresseida. 

He looked at the list Cresseida made for him. He was a high lord but he didn’t have an idea about half of the stuff on the list. He was relieved to see that at least, the guests list was taken care of and invites were sent out already. 

“Should we focus first on the easiest part of that list and arrange the tables and chairs?” Varian asked and Tarquin agreed this was the simplest idea. 

If he knew they would be left with organising everything he would have hired a party planner but as it happens Cresseida liked having everything under control and preferred to organise everything herself, needing every small detail to be perfect and as she envisioned. Which also included positions of tables and chairs by the looks of it. Cresseida outlined the position of everything at the back of the list. This would take a while. 

“It’s been a while since we’ve had a party.” Varian remarked carrying out couple of the chairs from the storage room which was underneath the Palace, the door out of sight, under the set of stairs leading to the palace. 

“It has been too long.” Tarquin agreed. “Will you bring Amren?” 

“I was planning to. Will you...” Varian hesitated briefly before adding “ask Annaleigh to attend as your date?” 

“I haven’t thought about it yet.” 

He realised he really should have been more organised about this. He wanted to go with her, he knew logically she was going to be there anyway, but he liked the idea of her attending as his date. But would she agree? Possibly best to leave it for now. He thought about how he hasn’t even told the female about his feelings for her. He didn’t have any doubt that she was the one for him and while he did have few brief romances in his younger age, he felt almost shy about approaching her. Something he couldn’t recall ever feeling before. She, in the quite short time they knew each other, brought out in him things he hasn’t experienced much of before. It both unnerved him and pulled him towards her. 

“You’re in love with her, aren’t you?” 

It was an observation Varian made not long ago; he could see how differently Tarquin acted around the female. He wanted to be happy for Tarquin, he wished for him to find something he found with Amren. Even if they weren’t the usual couple, he still found good friend and love in the female. 

Varian was still however the guard of the summer court. It was his job to closely observe everything and everyone and always be on his guard. Predicting others moves was like a second nature to him and while he was certain Annaleigh felt for Tarquin similar to what he felt for her, he could observe her slight hesitations when being around Tarquin. Anyone else would have missed the almost non-existent signs but he could see. Whenever she looked at his cousin, there was warmth in her eyes but also weariness. When Tarquin stepped close to her, she would subconsciously take a small step away. It happened less and less recently so he really hoped whatever made her stay back was being dealt with. He hoped Tarquin wouldn’t get his heart broken. He could understand her hesitation, he imagined he’d he the same if he wasn’t sure who he fully was or perhaps he wouldn’t even be sure of anything he felt. He could only hope, they would have a happy ending. 

“I am” Tarquin’s reply came. Varian was more like a brother to him than a cousin, he felt comfortable admitting this to him. He could always admit to more in Varian’s and Cresseida’s company than he could with most others. The only exception was under the mountain, while they knew what happened there, since leaving none of them properly spoke about what happened. Few nights ago, with Annaleigh was the first he’s ever said those things out loud. It brought him some relief, being able to just say what was always weighting on him. 

“What are you planning to do?” Came Varian’s question. 

Tarquin thought about this while he carried outside collection of expensive champagnes and wines he acquired. He had to go through them and decide which he was going to use for the party. 

“I am planning to ask her out to dinner after the party.” He finally replied and they both focused on task at hand, not wanting to suffer Cresseida’s wrath should anything be less than perfect when she and Annaleigh came back.


	12. Chapter 12

She felt gorgeous today. Her curls were put up loosely, few escaping and framing her face. She had put on very light make up with the help of Cresseida earlier and now, as she put on the dress, she thought it fitted her amazingly well, giving her body rather lovely shape. She was ready to make her way downstairs to the garden. She could already hear voices from her open balcony and knew Cresseida, Varian and Tarquin were all there already entertaining the guests. 

As she made her way downstairs, and opened the back door. She was amazed how the garden she grown to know so well was transformed before her eyes. Tables were set on one end of the garden, in semi-circle, each had a few small candles decorating its surface together with bouquets of flowers and most exquisite porcelain plate and cup sets. 

There were two white, large garden tents, one on each end of the garden. The first one had buffet style tables with various dishes and desserts. The second one acted as a bar and was much busier than the first. Various larger plants and bushes had number of tiny lights tied around them, as well as few lanterns flying above their heads, giving beautiful glow to the party with the darkening sky in the background. The usually peaceful fountain in the middle was creating various shapes out of its water with the help of someone’s magic. Soft music played in the background and guests happily chatted around, each one holding a drink in their hand. 

Cresseida spotted her very quickly and came over with a glass of wine for Annaleigh. 

“Glad you finally made your way down. I’ll introduce you to few of our friends.” 

Just like that she followed Cresseida around being introduced to lot of fae she was sure she wouldn’t remember soon and being giving various different drinks in between each introduction. As the night sky appeared over their head Annaleigh started enjoying herself, dancing with Cresseida and whoever else asked her. She was starting to let loose and just be present in the moment. 

As she finished one of the dances and walked over to the bar to pick up another drink, she felt a pair of eyes on her and turned to see Tarquin approach her. This was the first time she has seen him tonight and it was clear he put effort into choosing his clothing for the night. His usual loosely fitted clothing was replaced by a tighter button up jacket that clearly showed his muscled figure and he worn matching trousers. Both white with blue details that matched the colour of his eyes and his usually down hair was tied up in a ponytail. 

She felt something similar to feeling of butterflies in her stomach at the sight of him, and she could see his eyes intensively focused on her. 

“You look beautiful.” He quietly said and leaned in to kiss her cheek. 

“Thank you,” she acknowledged his compliment, still feeling his eyes on her. 

“I’m sorry I couldn’t come to see you earlier. I hope you’ve enjoyed yourself.” 

“I have, but I think something could make this evening even better.” 

“What’s that?” 

“Well, I haven’t been asked to dance by certain high lord yet,” she replied, giving him one of the smiles he loved so much. 

“Ah, we need to change that.” Tarquin replied giving her one of his smiles and reached out a hand towards her, “would you like to dance Annaleigh?” 

“I thought you’d never ask.” 

They danced together for what seemed like forever, both Lost in their own world and neither willing to let go of the other, he loved having her so close to him and she felt sparks of electricity where his hand rested on her lower back. He was a good dancer and graciously led the dance, his eyes never leaving her face. 

“I’ve been wondering,” she broke the comfortable silence as they swirled around other dancing couples “if it might be at all possible to visit the autumn Court.” 

She didn’t particularly want to ruin the moment and ask but she decided it was now or never. Putting this off for as long as she could and the alcohol in her system gave her courage to ask. Whether he agreed or not, this was not one of the conversations she wanted to have as she didn’t feel any want to go to autumn court, even if she knew she should. 

He hesitated and she wondered if this is where he drew the line in helping her. Through being here, she learnt none of the high lords particularly enjoyed having to deal with autumn court, avoiding it as much as possible unless absolutely necessary. 

“if you think there’s something to be found there, I will ask.” 

“But...?” she asked, and felt like there was something he was holding back on saying. 

“But as I’m sure you know autumn Court isn’t willing to play much of a host. It might not be possible to convince them to let us come.” 

“But you would come with me, if they agree?” 

“Of course, I would. I’ll write a letter tomorrow morning. We will find a way.” 

“Thank you, Tarquin. For everything. Since I’ve arrived here, you helped me so much. I don’t know how I could ever repay you.” 

“There’s nothing to repay Annaleigh.” 

They broke apart, her needing a rest, and they headed towards the bar. 

Annaleigh thought briefly how amazing her tolerance is. She definitely started feeling some effects of the mixed drinks she had but she wasn’t drunk as she’d expect yet. Tarquin handed her a glass of wine and she gratefully accepted. They’ve started walking towards the edge of the garden, away from others. 

“I hope I won’t get in trouble for keeping you to myself for so long.” Annaleigh said. 

Tarquin’s chuckled quietly. 

“I don’t know... kidnapping of a high lord is quite high on the list of punishable crimes. Don’t worry, as the high lord I can give you let you off lightly.” His voice was laced with amusement. 

She gasped in fake outrage, “Tut-tut. What happened to the fair and honest high lord from five minutes ago?” 

“He was charmed in the company of a beautiful lady and completely forgot about his high lord duties.” 

The music changed then, slower sound filled their ears and seemed to softly wrap around them. Tarquin moved to stand in front of her, his hand once again reaching for her, “May I?” He asked and she nodded her agreement. He put her drink down and pulled her closer to him, his large body flush against her frame. They were now so close to each other, she felt his breath on her cheek, his scent all around her, as they gently swayed their hips to the sound of music, she felt a wave of desire run through her body. 

She was falling for him; of that she was sure now. 

She locked her eyes with his and let him gently move them. Somewhere in the distance she could hear faint sounds of some of the guests saying their goodbyes and slowly leaving but this moment was all about them. She let herself get lost in it, feeling his body heat from where he touched her. 

Just as quickly as the song begun it ended, and she reluctantly stepped away from him. 

“I should probably go get some sleep. It sounds like most of the guests left now.” 

He nodded; his eyes intense on her. “Let me walk you to your room.” 

Ever so slowly they made their way back towards the palace, wanting to extend the evening by even a little bit. Tarquin knew it was silly notion, to think of wanting to extend time itself but he couldn’t help it. The inevitable ending of their night approached closer with every passing minute and he couldn’t get enough of her company. 

They reached her door in no time, the walk not being long enough. 

As she turned to face him, her eyes twinkled in the dim light of the hallway. The hallway was empty, no sounds reaching his ears, his senses fully focused on her. He took a slow step towards her and gently laid his hand on her cheek, giving her time to move away if she wished. Her eyes fluttered close and he leaned forward. His lips brushed against hers in a brief tender kiss. It was over as quickly as it started and he pulled away. 

She opened her eyes and before he could change his mind and ask to stay with her for longer, he wished her goodnight and walked away. 

Tomorrow, he decided, he will ask her to dinner. He wanted to finally lay his cards on the table and let her know how he felt about her.


	13. Chapter 13

Loud knocking on her door startled Annaleigh. It was closer to afternoon now than morning, thanks to her getting up late on her day off and she walked across her room in only her thin dressing gown hiding her nightclothes. 

She opened the door to her usual servant standing there with an envelope in her thin hand outstretched towards Annaleigh. 

She grabbed the envelope noticing nothing written on either side of it. It was white, with golden line running down the side and delicate blue lines swirling inside the gold. Official letter. Curiosity filled her and she turned the envelope over and carefully opened it. Small folded piece of paper was inside, and she examined what it said. Would you like to join me for dinner tonight at 7pm? The question read and underneath were two boxes, one with yes and one with no, Tarquin’s name signed at the bottom. 

Small smile appeared on her face. Tarquin certainly was one for small gestures when he could have as easily came here and asked her in person. 

She didn’t really have to think about her answer and immediately ticked yes with the pen the servant passed to her and then folded the paper and returned it to the envelope, passing it back to the servant. The servant gave her a small nod as she left to deliver the answer to Tarquin and Annaleigh was left alone with her excitement. 

She had short session with Khadija this afternoon, the healer said she had something that could help her, and then she’d have plenty time to get ready for her dinner with Tarquin. The day couldn’t go fast enough now that she was looking forward to the evening. 

* 

She entered the clinic with a wide smile and the young fae who she met last time looked at her. 

“Good to see you again. Something good happened? Oh, it’s been a while since I’ve seen that look! Don’t tell me, it looks like...” She thought for a second “The look of someone in love! Is it the high lord? I’ve heard he’s been looking happier lately. Oh! Sorry I’m doing it again aren’t I, sticking my nose where it doesn’t belong. You’re here for Khadija?” 

“Yes, I have session booked in with her for any minute now.” 

“That’s right! Khadija mentioned that few days ago. Just like me to forget. A patient left her few minutes ago so she should be ready for you. You remember which room it was?” 

Annaleigh nodded and headed for the door she remembered from the last time she came here. 

Khadija was waiting for her sitting behind one of the desks with various books opened in front of her. 

“Annaleigh, you look well.” Khadija mentioned and gestured for her to take a sit. “It’s not going to be long visit. Just some questions to help you juggle your memory a little bit, sometimes some questions help to stir things a little it will help you with what I found. It’s an old recipe for something that could be considered memory boost potion. Now, this will not just magically restore your memories but it might help something come back for you. It can take few days to start properly working although some smaller effects can happen straight away and you need to take it over the course of few days.” 

“Will it help me remember anything?” 

“It sometimes can. Sometimes it can help that fog clear a little bit, so memories you didn’t see well may appear clearer and you may remember more. Sometimes it helps to bring something new to you, something that was just there beneath the surface but you weren’t able to access yet. It works best if you’re exposed to something that could help trigger It but not essential. There is no guarantee it will work but it’s worth a try.” 

Annaleigh agreed to it without thinking much. At the point she was in, she was ready to try anything. Once again, she was ready to face her problems head on. She also thought about the possible trip to Autumn court. If something helped her remember something, maybe she’d get more out of the trip. Or she might not have to go anymore. Either option was fine with her, Autumn court just unsettled her from what she heard and read about it. 

“Should we begin? First drink this,” she passed her a small bottle with clear liquid, “the potion I told you about. I will give you the rest after the session. Do you want to start telling me about what happened during your recent trip to Spring court?” 

So, Annaleigh began her tale and Khadija carefully listened to her talk. She told her about the river, she told her about that small flicker of childhood she had and about what conclusions her and Tarquin made. 

* 

The session went as well as could be expected. Sadly, no new discoveries were made but Annaleigh also felt a little lighter, having someone else to share things with. Khadija asked quite a few questions and Annaleigh answered as best she could, with the limited knowledge she had. It was quite exhausting trying to think about all the bits she left in the back of her mind and just when she felt closer to something, it disappeared just as fast. Like a picture in mind, just as she saw it, it would fly away and disappear and Annaleigh wouldn’t be able to remember what exactly it was she saw. 

She felt drained but her excitement came back to her full force when she got back. She couldn’t wait to have some time alone with him again. She felt them drifting closer and her worries from before didn’t seem to matter as much. She felt she was ready to take the step in his direction. If their kiss last night and invitation to dinner meant anything, she was sure he was feeling the same way. 

She pulled out a longer gown from her closet. It had lace sleeves, with a small amount of cleavage, just enough to show off a nice necklace without being too revealing and straight floaty cut to the bottom. The blue of the dress reminded her of the afternoon sky here, so vivid in colour without clouds getting in the way. 

7pm arrived at last and she made her way to the entrance hall to meet Tarquin. 

He was already waiting there at the bottom of the stairs, standing perfectly straight and looking handsome, like a Prince she’d read about as a child. Time seemed to flow in slow motion as he turned to look at her and their eyes met. One step down, then two. As she made the move to go down another step of the stairs, she felt an odd sensation at her back. Like someone reached out to push her. Startled she quickly turned around. There was no one but the moment was gone and the sudden movement caused her to lose her balance and suddenly she was falling. Fear and shock came to surface and everything started happening too fast. She felt impact of her back being slammed into lower stairs and air left her lungs. The pain started then and just as quickly Tarquin was at her side. Too late to save her completely but fast enough to brace her so she didn’t reach the bottom of the extremely long staircase. 

“Annaleigh are you ok?” Worry stood out in his voice. 

“Yes” she mumbled and winced as she turned her head to look at him. She felt pain in her back and ankle, suddenly much worse than before. 

“I’ll get you to healers,” he said and carefully lifted her to avoid moving her too much. 

The hall started filling up, everyone seemed to have heard the noise and came to check what’s going on. 

“Is she OK? What happened?” Cresseida and Varian approached them. 

“Get her to bed, I’ll get a healer” Varian added and walked off. 

“She fell down the stairs.” Tarquin replied to Cresseida and started making his way up the stairs with Annaleigh in his arms. He was acting quickly, protective nature overtaking him. He blocked out everything and everyone until he got her into her bed and finally properly looked at the female. 

“I probably could have walked back,” Annaleigh remarked and he noticed her flushed cheeks. 

Walk. Right. He didn’t think about checking whether she could. He just let his instincts overtake. Suddenly he felt a bit ashamed of his actions. He had all the training he could have being the high lord about how to act in those kinds of situation and yet he lost his logical reasoning there, seeing her fall. 

Khadija approached the bed and he let out a long breath. She had a talent for making everyone feel at ease. 

Varian and Cresseida stood at the door waiting for the healer to examine Annaleigh, Varian faced the room with his face schooled into neutral expression. The only way Tarquin knew the male was a bit worried was that he remained in the room. Cresseida was a bit more open with her emotions, her brows drawn close together and her hand absently playing with her hair, her old habit. 

It didn’t take Khadija long to examine Annaleigh. 

“She will be fine. Expect her to be a bit sore for few days and some bruises. Her ankle is in a bit of worse condition so I’d be gentle on it over the next few days and take plenty of rest but otherwise all is well. I will leave an ointment for her, to be applied to her ankle and back, it will help with swelling and bruising. Now, if I’m not needed anymore, I shall return to my office.” 

“Thank you, Khadija.” Tarquin replied. 

Varian and Cresseida followed after Khadija and closed the door, leaving them alone. 

“Sorry for the trouble. I ruined our dinner plans.” Annaleigh broke the silence. 

“It’s OK. I’m glad you’re OK. What happened there Annaleigh?” 

Long silence stretched between them. She sighted. He will probably think she’s losing it. “I felt like someone pushed me. I’m not really sure what happened. One minute I was walking down the stairs towards you then I felt the sensation on my back and looked back and well you know the rest. I must just be tired.” 

His brows furrowed but then whatever he thought about he pushed to the back of his head and smiled at her, “Perhaps. I will leave you to rest now. I will come by tomorrow to see how you’re doing. Servant should be up soon to help you apply your ointment. Sleep well.” 

“See you tomorrow.”


	14. Chapter 14

She was terribly bored. Sleeping in and spending days in bed just wasn’t her thing and there wasn’t much to do. Her body hurt and she had to grit her teeth hard to make the few steps to the bathroom. Khadija said it was nothing serious but every move made her body scream and her ankle was unstable. So, she changed her plans of going for a short walk and begrudgingly made her way back to her bed. Cresseida came over briefly earlier to check on her but left soon after and Tarquin hasn’t made his appearance yet so she was struggling to find anything to do. She even napped a little bit midmorning and woke up again not long ago to find herself disappointed it was only just gone lunch time, a tray with warm food left by her bedside. 

She ate very slowly, not being much hungry and tried to get her attention to remain at the book Cresseida brought over earlier but was failing. She read the same sentence few times and none of it sunk in. She was just left with herself and her restless thoughts. 

Everything felt strange and like it was happening in fast motion but also somewhere in the distance. She thought perhaps it was the memory tonic starting to work. She would hear voices and conversations but such brief fragments it didn’t make much sense to her. Sometimes it even felt like she didn’t hear what the voices said. They just seemed to whisper and carry-on conversations around her, without her. 

“We must hurry we will be late to...” Female voice whispered. 

“Annaleigh you must keep your head down! It’s unsightly for one of us too...” Another female, different voice scolded her. 

“I won’t be gone long.” Another voice and then her voice followed in the distance, “Perhaps when you’re back, we could go and look around for...” 

“I’m so sorry I didn’t know they would...” Male voice said with sadness, she could almost hear heartbreak in his voice. 

Khadija told her side effect may not be very nice but this felt like madness. She needed to move and get herself busy but of course found herself unable to do much. 

Perhaps some fresh air from balcony would help. 

She slid off her bed slowly and worked on getting her balance standing up. Last thing she needed was getting up too fast and making her injury worse. When she felt she was stable enough, she carefully made her way across the room, using whatever she could grab along the way to help her balance better. 

Quiet knock on the door. 

She paused in her tracks and turned to look towards the door, at her new visitor. Tarquin. 

“Let me help you!” He rushed across the room and reached her side, putting his arm around her waist and making her balance most of her weight on him. She was once again grateful for bit of extra help so she let herself lean into him and let him guide the way. 

“Is there anything I can get for you?” He asked as they settled into the chairs and looked across the restless sea. Storm was coming and soon. 

“I’m ok, just needed some fresh air.” 

“I’m sorry I’m a bit late checking on you, it’s been a busy morning and I’ve got news from Autumn court.” 

Her heart stopped; she was sure of that. The most anticipated and dreaded reply she’s been waiting for. 

She worked on her expression remaining neutral, “What does it say?” 

“It’s not the most... optimistic reply I had but they will allow it,” He smirked “I may have slipped in I’m willing to consider opening some new trades between our courts.” 

She couldn’t help to smile “Devious scheming on your part.” 

* 

Just like that the days went past very slowly for her and she gotten used to her new routine. In the early morning she would slowly make her way to the bathroom to try and get herself ready and there would be servant waiting for her to help her get in and out of the bathtub and apply ointment to her back she couldn’t reach easily. She’d then make her way to the balcony to enjoy breakfast she would now have in her room and read through various cooking books Cresseida would find for her. Closer to midday Varian and Cresseida would come up to help her get down the stairs, both worrying much more than they should about her making simple way downstairs, and they would all enjoy their lunch together. A positive thing that came about from this situation. She and Cresseida were becoming good friends now and she was getting to know more about Varian, having spent very little time in his company before and she found she rather enjoyed his presence. She has learnt a lot about their childhood and the two of them were more than happy to share some stories about Tarquin. 

Lunch would go way too fast, with both of them having court duties to attend to and the second part of her day would go much slower being back in her room with not much to do but perhaps the most enjoyable part about it all was the nightly dinners she and Tarquin had begun to enjoy together. 

He surprised her the first time, arriving in her room in the evening with a trolley filled with food and then he would make his way to her room every night to eat with her. 

Another reply from Autumn court arrived few days later, and they were to leave in two days' time. Her ankle was mostly ok now so she wanted to get there as soon as possible, before anything else could put this off. It was taking long enough and she feared they may receive a message that the lord of autumn court changed his mind. 

“We will have to arrive in the palace first to greet the high lord of Autumn court, he will not let us wander around by ourselves,” Tarquin begun, “Once we get I expect we will have to stay there for a day for both pleasantries and court businesses and then we will request permission to go look around the border of autumn court.” 

Her heart sank. She hoped to avoid any close contact with the court but part of her expected it wouldn’t be so easy. 

She just hoped she would find the answers because she felt like she was going crazy. She could sleep properly because restless dreams visited her and she couldn’t ever remember more than few flashing images when she woke up that didn’t make sense to her. She’s been waking up frequently. During the day, it wasn’t much better. The voices and parts of conversations she heard before kept on being on repeat with few new ones here and there. Sometimes she could swear she saw things, like blood surrounding her on the bed when she’d wake up only to blink and for it to be gone. 

* 

She was screaming. Hands were grabbing at her holding her down and she felt pain all over her body. Something flashed in front of her eyes and then she felt intense pain as the knife drew down along her shoulder and then stopped. She felt the hot liquid running down her shoulder and one of the hands holding her grabbed at the now open bit of her dress. She screamed louder but was sure it was pointless, they didn’t care. She felt the miserable tears escape her eyes and she fought to escape their grasps again. She looked around. There was so much blood everywhere and so many armed men in armour around her, something like resignation settled somewhere within her. There was no way she could escape this. 

“Annaleigh wake up!” She heard someone shout and she opened her eyes. She looked around confused and her eyes found his panicked ones, looking over her, his hands grabbing her arms. 

“Sorry I woke you. You were dreaming and screaming. I heard you as I was passing your room. I thought something was wrong so decided to check on you.” 

She absently nodded her head and her eyes rested on Tarquin’s face. The fog slowly disappearing only for the cold chill to settle. She remembered her awful nightmare. 

Soft sob escaped her lips and he wrapped his arms around her, the warmth radiating off his body comforting. She wasn’t sure why she was crying but the nightmare has stirred something inside her and it felt like all kids of emotions suddenly came to surface and were finding their way out of her. 

“Shh it’s ok.” She heard him say but it almost felt somewhere in the distance, her body shaking with each sob escaping her. 

She tried to believe that. It had to be ok eventually, but something told her this would only get worse before it gets better. She took few deep breaths and slowly let herself relax into his touch and soon found herself drifting back into sleep still in his arms.


	15. Chapter 15

This was their last night before they went on their trip. Tarquin opened bottle of red wine and filled her a glass. This evening so much like the others few over the last few days yet something felt different. They could of ate downstairs with everyone, her ankle fully healed now but he insisted on having their last dinner before leaving here. 

They finished their dinner and the conversation about plans regards to their trip to autumn court died down. Silence surrounded them but it wasn’t the same comfortable silence as before. This one felt heavier and like there was magical pull in the air that needed them closer. It was becoming unbearable; it was constantly there last few days but neither of them would do anything to make it better. 

It seemed like they were both thinking about the same thing because then he smiled and put his hand on her cheek. She leaned into his touch and focused her eyes on his. 

She saw something there she couldn’t quite put her finger on. 

He leaned in towards her and then his lips softly brushed against hers. Something similar to a small moan escaped her and she reached out to try and pull him closer. A wave of desire went through her, the constant ache she’s been feeling for last few days. She needed more of him. The chairs they were sitting on provided unfortunate barrier for how much she needed to feel his body against hers but she deepened the kiss and let everything go. The world around them forgotten for this brief moment. Her hand found his silky hair and she was amazed at its smoothness. He broke the kiss but didn’t move away, his uneven breath matching hers. 

“I’m in love with you Annaleigh.” He whispered looking into her eyes. 

She opened her eyes and pulled back slightly to look at him. Time seemed to work in a slow motion. She felt the rhythm of her heart speed up and the feeling of butterflies in her stomach. 

She stared into those turquoise depths. 

“I love you too.” The words left her lips before she even realised and she finally felt how true they were. She wasn’t sure when or how this feeling came to be but she finally realised just how much he meant to her. 

He pulled her in for another kiss and this one was more heated than the last. Their tongues moved against each other, all their passion and feelings in this kiss. She brought out so many feelings in him, it felt like he couldn’t get enough of her. 

Annaleigh stood up. She decided to make the move now. She wanted them to finally explore the desire they felt for each other, before they left tomorrow. 

She walked over to him then leaned in over him and their lips connected once again. The electricity between them intensified and as his soft lips moved against hers, she felt her stomach tighten. She needed more. She stepped back and grabbed his hand, pulling him to a standing position. His eyes seemed darker now, a hunger present in them. She walked backwards towards her bed, his eyes never leaving hers. 

“Are you sure?” His voice grown husky and the sound of it send shiver down her spine. 

“Yes.” 

Suddenly she was falling and then he was on top of her. Their bodies against each other and their lips and tongues dancing together. His hands ever so slowly moved down her body to her hips, then his lips left hers and moved down her jaw to her neck. A soft moan escaped her and she arched her back slightly. She felt like she was on fire and a part of her long forgotten came alive with him. Her hands reached for his top and worked on unbuttoning it. So many buttons, it was hard to focus and it felt like agonisingly slow speed before she undid the last one and slid his top down his shoulders. Broad chest and muscles came into her view and she run her hand down his hot skin and round his hips to his back. His breathing picked up and he pulled her to sitting position. He pulled her dress down her body as she helped him get it off and then it was on the floor. His lips returned to her skin and made their way down, towards her exposed breasts. Her nipples hardened and she wrapped her legs around his waist to bring him closer to her. 

As his tongue swirled around her left nipple, his hand moved down, very softly running down her leg and then the tips of his fingers made their way back up on the inside of her leg in agonisingly slow motion. She desperately needed to feel his touch but he wasn’t done teasing her. His hand stopped just before he reached the spot she needed to be touch in so badly and she groaned. 

“Patience Annaleigh.” His amused voice brought back the tightness to her stomach and she felt another wave of desire in her core. 

His fingers were now playing with the hem of her panties and it took everything she had not to move her hips into his touch. His lips left her nipple and settled over the other one. She run her hands up his back over his shoulders, hoping he will give her the touch she needs. 

His hands went up higher and then he at last pulled the remaining bit of clothing covering her down and she was completely bare in front of him. 

He pulled back and looked over her, his hungry eyes taking every detail before moving back up and settling on her face. Beneath the hunger there was gentleness in his eyes. 

“I love you Annaleigh.” 

“And I you, Tarquin.” 

The words felt hard to say now, her body so focused on the sensations he was giving her it felt hard to remember how to speak again. 

He helped her lie back down once again and then kissed each of her nipples again before moving further down. He hooked her legs over his shoulders and at last his lips found her core. 

His tongue tasted her slowly at first, dragging from the bottom to the top, teasing her briefly before settling on the spot that send fireworks through her and increasing the speed. Her moans were growing louder and her legs tightened around his shoulders. His tongue skilfully working on the bundle of nerves bringing her intense amounts of pleasure. Her hands fisted in the bedsheets underneath her and her breathing sped up further then overwhelming amount of pleasure took over her and her breath caught, all her muscles tightened at once before letting go and the pleasure reaching its peak. 

She breathed again and relaxed into the bed as she slowly came down from her orgasm. 

When the feeling eased and her breathing returned to normal, she opened her eyes and looked at him, the desire within her still present. He was amazing, his eyes the most beautiful colour she has ever seen and looking at his hard body made her hands wants to finally explore his body. 

She sat up and her hands once again touched his chest and trailed the muscles of his abdomen. She opened the button to his bottoms and pulled everything down leaving him naked at last. Her eyes looked over his body and one of her hands slid down to his member. She let her fingers touch gently at first, feeling the hard smoothness of his length and she leaned down and let her tongue run along the tip. She heard him gasp and his fingers laced into her hair. She repeated the motion with her tongue few times and then closed her mouth around him. She moved her head slowly at first, getting used to his size and the feel of him and then she worked up the pace and swirled her tongue around him at the top. His breathing picked up and was becoming irregular, her eyes looked up into his and then she took him all the way in. 

“Annaleigh...” Tarquin breathlessly whispered. 

She kept working her mouth on him in steady rhythm and as she felt him nearing, he pulled back. He grabbed onto her hips and in space of seconds she was on her back and he was settled between her legs. He paused there and searched her face. She gave him a small nod and he entered her. 

Finally, they were joint and she was overwhelmed by sensations and feelings for him. He moved in steady slow rhythm at first, slowly kissing her and whispering loving words in-between kisses. When she got used to feeling he sped up. Moans escaped her lips once again and her eyes fluttered closed. She was lost in this feeling and his scent was surrounding her, making her lightheaded. Her body was experiencing so many different sensations at once, all too much and yet not enough and they moved together both lost in the feeling. She felt the familiar tightness and she run her nails softly down his back. The feeling kept building within her with each thrust of him and then she was falling again and he joined her. 

Their ragged breaths struggled to return to normal and he laid down next to her and pulled her close to his chest. She let his warmth surround her and as she relaxed into his warmth, she drifted off to sleep.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only one chapter this week, had few difficult days this week so I didn't get round to editing the latest chapters I wrote until earlier on today.  
> Only few more chapters left before part 1 is finished!  
> Hope you enjoy reading this chapter, 
> 
> *Possibly bit of what would be considered strong language in this chapter*

“Are you ready Annaleigh?” 

She looked over hear shoulder to see Cresseida standing at the door to her room “Tarquin is already downstairs waiting.” 

“I think I’m ready.” Anneleigh simply replied. 

She wasn’t sure if she would ever be ready but this was probably as good as it would get. She tried to steel her nerves as she followed Cresseida and tried not think much about where she was going. Tarquin would be with her, she reminded herself. She wouldn’t be alone in the Autumn court. 

Varian stood next to Tarquin, filling him in on some report by the looks of it but her eyes quickly skipped over the male and rested on Tarquin. He must of felt them approach because in that moment his eyes lifted to hers. Easy smile appeared on his face but his eyes were intense on her. She remembered last night and how good it was to finally feel him against her body. Something in the air must of shifted because next moment Varian’s cough echoed in the hall and Annaleigh at last looked away. 

“Good to see you again, Varian.” 

“Likewise.” He replied and looked back to Tarquin, “As I was saying, everything looked normal within autumn Court so there shouldn’t be any trouble. I will station few extra guards around the border to the autumn court while you’re there. Cresseida will take over your meetings for next few days so don’t worry about being in a hurry to come back.” 

“Thank you Varian.” Tarquin replied and Variam gave a nod and turned to walk away. 

Cresseida turned to Annaleigh “Good luck today, remember what I taught you about court manners. High lord of the Autumn Court isn’t easy to impress but he’s quick to anger.” The female winked and followed after Varian. 

Annaleigh and Tarquin stood alone now, she felt his eyes lingering on her face. 

“If at any time you feel uncomfortable or want to come back for whatever reason just say the word and I will winnow us back.” Tarquin stated quietly. 

Their gaze met “Thank you Tarquin, it all really means a lot.” 

He smiled “Don’t mention it.” He reached out his hand to hers and she took it. “Whatever happens during our trip, no matter what you learn, for me it won’t change anything. I will still be by your side and my heart will still be yours.” and then the world felt like it was moving at very fast pace as Tarquin winnowed them to the Autumn Court. 

* 

The autumn Court looked magical. Vivid colours surrounded them from all angles, shades of gold, reds and browns to be seen everywhere and the scent around them... Such strong scent of forest and yet so fresh. The sun was shining over their heads and gave everything around beautiful glow. The forest House where the high lord and lady of Autumn Court resided was unlike anything Annaleigh ever seen. Trees and rocks surrounded it and it looked like it was built into the rock itself. It was so beautiful and terrifying at the same time. 

Annaleigh took a moment to look around and straight away she felt unease in her stomach. It was very unsettled feeling and yet it was mixed in with a different feeling, something she could only describe as nostalgia. She knew this would be it. 

Tarquin turned his head to look at her, question in his eyes. She could see the worry there, she nodded as if to say she’s OK and he nodded his head. 

“Shall we?” he asked. 

Just that moment couple of guards approached them. 

“Lord,” One of them spoke and they both bowed low to Tarquin, then their eyes turned to Annaleigh. She couldn’t read anything in their faces. 

“Lady,” they gave polite nod of their heads towards her then turned back towards Tarquin “We were asked to come and greet you lord. The high lord of autumn Court is currently in a meeting and is expecting to see you after lunch. If you would please follow us and we’ll show you to a guest room.” 

“Very well.” Tarquin replied and they made their way into the forest house. 

The autumn colours were everywhere and yet despite the warm colours and the expensive decorations this place felt cold. Annaleigh shivered as they made their way down the long and empty hall. Her palms were sweaty and she felt oddly at edge, she wanted to run. Everything in her body told her to leave but she took a deep breath and worked on getting her nerves under control. She needed to do this and after Tarquin went out of his way to get her here, she felt she had to at least try. Just a day or two that’s all and then she could be back in summer court. 

There was tea waiting for them in the guest room and some biscuits, and they were left alone. A sign of overly trusting high lord of Autumn court? Or maybe one that felt overly confident and didn’t see them as much of a threat. 

"Are you feeling ok? You look a bit pale.” His turquoise eyes studied her face. 

“I’m... ok. Feel very uncomfortable here but other than that I’m ok.” 

“As far as I know the sons of Beron are not here today so you won’t have to worry about running into them and only have to meet the high lord briefly. Then I’ll have my meeting with him and after we can go take a look around.” 

Annaleigh gave a tight smile in return, the best she could manage right now but she guessed it didn’t look very convincing as Tarquin still stood there looking worried. 

They enjoyed their tea and Annaleigh tried her best to relax. A servant made their way in and nervously greeted them, then set down a tray with some food on the table but Annaleigh wasn’t very hungry. If she forgot for a moment where she was, she could appreciate the beauty of this place. But of course, it wasn’t for her to relax for long. A guard approached them soon after receiving lunch and told them Beron was ready to see them. 

* 

Through the long halls they were lead into a room of a size of small house. The walls were fully out of stone with golden glim to it and the floor was shiny, made out of white marble. Beautiful chandeliers, one after another hanged low from the ceiling and in the middle of the room stood a large table, joined at the sides with few others, and at the head of that table sat Beron, with the lady of the Autumn court at his side. 

Beron’s face was one of a cruel far and when he looked up to them his eyes were as cold as ice, despite their warm colour. 

“What is this?!” The voice of high lord of Autumn court rang through the room, so much spite and anger in his voice. 

They paused in their tracks, and stood at the entrance of the room. Annaleigh knew she should bow to the high lord but his eyes were fixed on her and she didn’t dare to move. Something like panic gripped her tightly. 

“Lord of autumn court.” Tarquin said and bowed his head. 

Beron completely ignored Tarquin, his eyes still fixed on her, Annaleigh wasn’t sure if she somehow managed to do something to offend him. Her eyes briefly wondered to the lady at his side, hoping for some clue but her face was completely blank, like she wasn’t even here. 

“I agree to your visit and you bring this thing with you?! How have you fallen Tarquin!” 

“With all due respect,” Tarquin begun but Beron cut him off. 

“Respect? Don’t make me laugh. Bringing cheap whores to my court is anything but respect. She is a disgrace and unwelcome in my court.” 

Time seemed to stand frozen still. Annaleigh didn’t even dare to breath and Tarquin at her side had gone completely still. 

Tears threatened to fall out of her eyes but she blinked them away. 

“I think there might be some misunderstanding.” the male at her side begun to speak again, something like anger now in his voice. 

“There is no misunderstanding here! We thought she was dead but yet here she is. She should of counted her blessings and stayed far away from here but I see instead she decided to dig her claws into a high lord now!” 

Her heart threatened to jump out of her chest and she felt dizzy, Tarquin at her side stood at a bit of loss about how to proceed and she felt awful she brought him here. She didn’t know what to expect but certainly not this. Tarquin tried to get a word in but Beron cut him off again. 

“Get out. Get out of my court before I call my guards and don’t come back!” Beron’s voice echoed through the room. 

It felt like the longest time but probably was just few seconds and then Tarquin moved, he bowed his head briefly again then grabbed her arm and the world was flashing in front of her eyes again. She closed her eyes and soon felt steady ground beneath her feet. 

She opened her eyes. 

They were back in Summer Court. 

Cresseida stood at the end of the hall with confused expression on her face and to her left, Tarquin stood, really tense. His face didn’t betray much but she noticed the tightness around his jaw.


	17. Chapter 17

“What happened?” Cresseida asked and approached them slowly.

“Beron wasn’t in the mood for guests,” Tarquin begun then his eyes slid to Annaleigh, “Would you follow me to my office?”

He didn’t wait for a response and begun walking.

Annaleigh took a deep breath and followed him.

Was he angry with her? She wished she knew what happened at autumn court , for  Beron to have such reaction to her. Whatever it was, it was bad. Annaleigh not for the first time wished she remembered , even if just to be able to clear the air or explain to Tarquin . There must be something she missed somewhere. 

Their steps seemed loud to her ears but she put all her attention to listening to the sound of them walk. Tears still threatened to fall at any minute and she was worried about what Tarquin was going to say. Was he done with her now?

Before her mind had time to wonder off properly, they reached his office and just as she stepped in, he shut the door behind her. His expression unreadable as he made his way to sit down and she followed his lead. The temperature of summer court seemed to be suffocating right now and she willed herself not to break down.

Silence remained in the room as he observed her and her discomfort grown. Why would he not say anything?”

“ I’m sorry,” She begun but before she had a chance to say more he spoke . 

“Are you ok?”

She blinked. This had  thrown her off. She expected anger and  disappointment and maybe even resignation from him but  somehow not the simple question .

“I...” She wasn’t sure how to finish this. She wasn’t sure what she was feeling.

“I apologise , I didn’t mean to scare you, I just wanted to say I’m sorry it went so far. I should of known what to expect out of Beron and his temper. I’m sorry you were treated like this and I... I just should of known b etter and gotten you out of there faster.  ”

“You don’t need to apologise. I must of done something to deserve this.”

He looked at her and a bit of kindness entered his face

“ You didn’t deserve this.  Can I assume you don’t remember much ”

She shook her head.

“Perhaps you’d like to rest for a bit. It’s been an eventful morning.”

“You still want me here?” She voiced the question on her mind.

He frowned, “Of course I still want you here.  What happened today wouldn’t change my mind .”

“Thank you.” She whispered, “Perhaps I should go to my room, glass of ice tea would be lovely right now.

Tarquin nodded his head and gave her a small smile “I will send someone up with some ice tea for you.”

*

She felt deflated for a lack of better word. It felt like she somehow messed up their trip to autumn court. If she could only remember...

She spent the afternoon out on her balcony, observing the cloudy sky and rain falling. The sea was restless, waves crushing hard in the distance. Storm indeed  was on its way . 

There was also something comforting about this. Like this storm would wash everything away and everything would be nicer and better soon. She hoped.

“I thought you might be here.” Tarquin’s voice startled her. She was so lost in her thoughts she didn’t even hear him approach. 

“There’s something relaxing about this.” 

“How are you feeling?”

She sighted. “Like I will need a long night of sleep.”

He chuckled,  “ P erhaps it’s time to start making your way to your room. This is only the start of the storm, I’d advice to shut the balcony door and windows. ”  She nodded and they made their way to her room.

She shut everything and turned to look at him. He was so handsome and kind. One of very few who said what they meant and loved freely. How had she deserved him?

She stood in front of him and stood on her tiptoes to kiss him. A quick kiss and she pulled away. Their eyes linked and that was it. Before she knew what was happening, they were already on her bed, nearly naked and kissing passionately. There was hunger in them both. Last time it was gentle love making but this time it was something different. More primal, their need for each other.  She  wanted more of him and quickly. Their  hands  didn’t take long to start exploring parts of their body and then they were fully naked and he was inside her. He slammed his hips into her again and again and she was crying out in pleasure. Her nails digging into his back, trying to pull him even closer to her. He flipped her over and she found herself on her hands and knees and then he was inside again, in one quick thrust. His pace increased and she arched her back and spread her legs further, sound of her moans filling the room. Her stomach tightened  and she felt the sensation of letting go, everything suddenly felt lighter, she heard his groan and then he was still. 

She collapsed onto the bed and he pulled her covers over her and lied next to her.

“I love you Annaleigh.” He said and she wrapped her arms around him. Her eyelids were growing heavy. 

There was so much she wanted to say to him after today but instead she settled for simple “I love you Tarquin.” Hoping it conveyed everything important to him right now. 

Sleep didn’t come and instead she  spend time lying down thinking through everything. Her mind was going into overdrive.  It felt like there was something at the back of her mind... 

She went through all the clues she could remember , how could she just forget? 

But no, she didn’t just forget, something happened she knew  it.

She felt a flicker of  recognition , it wasn’t an accident that she forgot. 

Just then a memory came forward. 

_ “My father can’t know you’re here. We need to do this quickly.” _

_ Voice woke her from her sleep. She looked towards where the voices were coming from and saw them. She relaxed a bit but didn’t say anything. She didn’t have energy to say anything. She hoped this meant it was all over now. She was so damn tired. _

_ The red haired male walked towards her and kneeled by the bed. His hand run through her hair softly and he looked at her with worry. _

_ “How are you feeling?” He asked but she just stared. How was she meant to feel after all of this?  _

_ He gave a soft sight and something like pain entered his eyes. _

_ “Are you sure about this?” He asked. _

_ She just gave a nod of her head and looked towards the clothed figure in the background. Female by the looks of it.  _

_ “This is one of the few remaining witches. She comes from a powerful family and spells and enchantments are her speciality.” _

_ She thought she should feel something. Anything. Worry perhaps or second thoughts, maybe even fear but instead there was just nothing. _

_ The male by the bed looked like he was waiting for her to say something but when he realised she wasn’t going to _ _ ,  _ _ he carried on speaking. _

_ “If you really wish to... forget, she can put a spell on you.” _

_ Annaleigh only nodded again. _

Gasp escaped her lips. Was this really  what happened? 

She took a moment to gather her thought. The same male from her dreams , she was sure of It but she felt so confused. She wanted to forget? Forget what?  W hy? 

Previous dreams indicated they were at least  lovers at some point in the past , what happened between them? Did that change at some point?

She took few calming breaths. This was it she thought. The decisive moment in which she had to make up her mind whether she really wanted to remember or not.

Part of her now wished to leave it. If she asked to forget surely she was better of not knowing?

But another part of her whispered she will never be able to make a full life here without knowing what happened.

The male by her side stirred.

“Is everything ok?” He asked.

She looked at him, the soft white hair glowing softly thanks to the light coming off candles near the bed. The worry shone in those eyes. She slowly run her hand down his cheek.

“I know what  happened to my memories.”  Annaleigh whispered.


	18. Chapter 18

Tarquin’s hand rested on hers, his full attention on her, “Do you want to talk about it?” 

“I just...” She paused, she needed to think about how to say this. 

“I wanted this.” She said at last. 

Confusion was written on his face. 

“The memory loss. I think I wanted it.” 

There, she got it out at last. All of this only to find out it was self-inflicted. 

“Tell me what you remembered.” The male next to her said and she told him about the memory in as much detail as she could remember. 

After the long discussion they decided to go see Khadija in the morning. 

A bit of weight felt like it was lifted for her, she shared this new find and it didn’t look like he was judging her. She felt terrible she has made him go with her in circles only to come up with this. 

But maybe it was necessary? 

She tried to think about positives. If not for all of this, she wouldn't have found herself here. She couldn’t regret this. 

Maybe it was needed for her to forget so she could learn the truth when she was ready to face it. She wasn’t sure such thing as ready really existed but the thought filled her with a bit of hope. 

She would not back down now. She would face it head on. She has come too far. 

She had a home, that she found in her journey, she had made friends and she found love. Whatever she discovered, she would be strong enough to face it. She knew she wouldn’t have to do it alone with all of the important people in her life here. It was time to get back up and hold her chin high, she was done feeling sorry for herself. 

* 

Khadija looked as if she had just woken up when they reached her office door, but she let them through. 

“What brings you here so early in the morning?” She asked looking at them. 

“I need your help. I had a memory. I remember what happened.” Annaleigh said and then filled in the details. 

“Is there anything you can do at all to help with this?” Tarquin asked when Khadija still hasn’t said anything. 

“No. Not me.” Khadija sighted, “I wish I could help, believe me. It’s not in my power to cut through this kind of magic. However, I know there is someone who might.” Khadijas eyes tested on Tarquin. 

“Helion.” Tarquin quickly caught on to what Khadija was trying to say. 

The healer nodded. “The high lord of the Day court is a gifted one, they do not call him Spell-Cleaver for no reason. Witches and their magic can be very tricky even for best of us but if anyone could help I’d say it would be him.” 

Annaleigh looked from Tarquin to Khadija, “Would he help?” 

“The Summer Court has quite good relationship with the Day Court so I don’t see why not. I will have to enquire about this and find out if it’s something he can do.” 

Annaleigh thanked Khadija and went back to the palace with Tarquin. 

“I will send letter at once to Helion. Until then all we can do is wait. If anything, else comes back to you let me know.” 

"I will.” She said. 

* 

Next afternoon Annaleigh finished her shift in the kitchen and just as she was leaving a servant run through the door. 

“We have few important quests! High lord requested few of the best dishes to be served as soon as possible.” The servant paused and looked around the room, “Oh, Annaleigh there you are! Your presence is requested as soon as possible in the dining room.” 

“Thank you for the message. I’ve just finished so I will head there immediately.” 

Guests? Tarquin didn’t mention he was expecting anyone important to arrive. She looked at her plain dress and wondered if she should change. 

“Annaleigh! There you are! Are you coming?” 

“Cresseida! Who is the guest? Should I change to something formal?” 

The female smiled at her. 

“The handsome high lord of Day court has arrived. ” 

Could it be what she thinks? Was this the time she could possibly regain her memories? 

“You don’t need to change, you look fine.” Cresseida continued. “Come now. We must not make them wait. Today has certainly been filled with lots of excitement.” 

“Has anything else happened?” 

“You haven’t heard yet?” Cresseida silently studied Annalegh for a moment before continuing, “Beron is dead. His son, Eris is the new high lord of the Autumn court.” 

Annaleigh froze. 

She didn’t expect that. She wasn’t sure why she felt so shaken with this news, it was not like she cared about Beron, but there was something else. Some familiar sadness she felt for the new High lord of Autumn court. 

She pushed the thoughts aside, now was not the time. She resumed walking. 

“What happened?” 

“We don’t know the details. He was murdered early this morning and the news of the new high lord spread fast. The details I’m afraid only the Autumn court knows.” 

Murdered. She had heard whispers before, about the eldest son of the previous high lord wanting his father's position. It wasn’t really much of gossip because there was fierce competition between brothers in the autumn court, all of them wanting to be the new high lord when the time came. It wasn’t really a surprise either to hear Beron was dead. She knew he had made a lot of enemies in his time but who would have actually been brave, or perhaps stupid enough to murdered the high lord? That wouldn’t have been an easy task and the Autumn court wouldn’t be one to forgive easily or let it go without setting things straight. 

She had thought of the new High lord of the Autumn court, Eris. What kind of high lord would he be? It was not a secret he was following into his father's footsteps, cruelty and coldness, a weapon to be used, known very well by the brothers. Beron would have made sure of that. There was also something else on her mind, a hope. A hope that maybe, just maybe there is a chance for a different Autumn court. There was a little whisper inside of her that told her he would be different. 

She didn’t know where it came from but she felt like she believed that. 

“Now, are you ready to meet the high lord of the Day court?” 

This pulled Annaleigh out of her thoughts. 

“What kind of high lord is he?” 

“A very handsome one.” Cresseida winked at her, “Do not let him steal too much of your attention or Tarquin will get jealous.” 

“Very funny. I didn’t hear anything about his visit today.” 

“You wouldn’t have because we didn’t know either. Tarquin said Hellion read the letter and decided to come visit to see what he can do for you. He complained before he hasn’t been to the Summer court in a while so I guess he was probably also looking for a bit of excuse to get out of his duties and enjoy a different court.” 

She had tried to place together any bits she may know about the day court but not much came to her. She wondered if the news about Autumn court were also part of the reason for his visit. 

She took few calming breaths trying to ready herself for this meeting. He couldn’t be worse than Beron she told herself. She doubted it was possible to make a meeting worse than that one. If he could help her, she was willing to try. 

“Now are you ready to go in, Annaleigh?” Cresseida asked as they stood in front of the door that led to dining room, where the high lords were waiting for them. 

“As ready as I’ll ever be.”


End file.
